320 South Boston Building | |
---|---|
Former names | Exchange National Bank Building |
Alternative names | National Bank of Tulsa Building |
General information | |
Status | Completed |
Address | 320 South Boston |
Town or city | Tulsa, Oklahoma |
Country | USA |
Construction started | 1916 |
Completed | 1928 |
Height | 400 feet |
Technical details | |
Floor count | 22 |
Floor area | 396,822 sq ft (36,866.0 m2) [1] |
Design and construction | |
Architect(s) | Oscar Wenderoth; Weary & Alford Company |
The 320 South Boston Building (formerly known as the National Bank of Tulsa Building) is a 22-story high-rise building located in downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma. It was originally constructed at the corner of Third Street and Boston Avenue as a ten-story headquarters building for the Exchange National Bank of Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1917, and expanded to its present dimensions in 1929. [2] [3] The addition brought the building's height to 400 feet (122 m), making it the tallest building in Oklahoma. [2] It lost this distinction in 1931, but remained the tallest building in Tulsa until Fourth National Bank (today Bank of America Center) was completed in 1967. It is now included in the Oil Capital Historic District.
The building sits on the west side of Boston Avenue and extends a full city block between Third and Fourth Streets. The Beaux Arts-style building was designed by Oscar Wenderoth of the Chicago architectural firm of the Weary & Alford Company. It is covered in brick with terra cotta trim. The lower two stories are covered in terra cotta. The central tower is stepped at the 20th floor, with a two-story arcade section, which is topped by a temple fronted section. A cupola tops the section. [4] For many years, the cupola was illuminated by floodlights whose color changed according to the latest weather forecast. Green light meant a fair weather forecast, while red lights signified an approaching storm. [lower-alpha 1]
In 1933, Exchange National Bank reorganized and renamed itself as the National Bank of Tulsa. Thereafter, the building was known as the National Bank of Tulsa Building (or NBT Building), until the bank renamed itself as Bank of Oklahoma (BOK). The BOK moved to its newly constructed BOK Tower in 1977. The NBT Building reverted to its former 320 South Boston Building name and became a general office building. Among the tenants are Hall Estill, one of Oklahoma's largest law firms.
In 1949, Tulsa television station KOTV erected its first transmitter atop the building. During construction, a worker's wrench fell and struck a woman on the street below, killing her. [6] KOTV continued to broadcast from the building until a taller tower was constructed in 1954.
A longstanding urban myth regarding the pinnacle of 320 South Boston Building erroneously reported that the tower was designed as a Zeppelin mooring. The myth, often propagated by local media, [7] stated that the pinnacle was used at least once when a U.S. Navy Zeppelin moored there in the 1930s. [8]
The top of the building was illuminated for weather alerts, with flashing red lights in the event of an approaching storm. [9] [10]
The architect was George Winkler, who also designed the Mayo Hotel. [2]
The Boston Avenue United Methodist Church, located in downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma, and completed in 1929, is considered to be one of the finest examples of ecclesiastical Art Deco architecture in the United States, and has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Built by a congregation of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, it was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1999. It has 15 floors.
Mather Tower is a Neo-Gothic, terra cotta-clad high-rise structure in Chicago, Illinois, United States. It is located at 75 East Wacker Drive in the downtown "loop" area, adjacent to the Chicago River.
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The Mid-Continent Tower is a 36-story skyscraper located at 401 South Boston Avenue in downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma. At 156 meters (513 ft) in height, it is the fourth-tallest building in Tulsa and fifth-tallest in Oklahoma. Faced with bright white terra cotta and crowned with a distinctive copper roof, it is one of the city's most recognizable buildings. The design is unique because the first 16-story structure was built in 1918. The top 20 stories comprise a separate structure, cantilevered over the first 66 years later. The architects of the addition matched the design of the original structure so carefully that the result is considered a single structure. It is included as a contributing structure in Tulsa's Oil Capital Historic District.
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The Bank of America Center is a commercial high-rise building in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The building rises 412 feet in downtown Tulsa. and contains 288,776 square feet (26,828.2 m2) of space. It has 32 floors, and was completed in 1967 as the Fourth National Bank of Tulsa. It is located on the corner of Sixth Street and Boulder Avenue, the site of the former Tulsa County court house. The Bank of America Center currently stands as the 5th-tallest building in the city, and the 9th-tallest building in the state of Oklahoma. The architectural firm who designed the building was Kelley & Marshall of Tulsa. The Bank of America Center contains offices of the Charlotte-based Bank of America Corporation. It currently stands as the 2nd-tallest international style skyscraper in the city, behind the BOK Tower. It also houses the offices of several petroleum companies and the Oklahoma State Attorney General's office.
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The First National Bank Building is a commercial high-rise building in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The building rises 250 feet in downtown Tulsa. It contains 20 floors, and was completed in 1950. The First National Bank Building currently stands as the 15th-tallest building in the city, and the 30th-tallest building in the state of Oklahoma. The architectural firm who designed the building was Carson & Lundin. It currently stands as the 7th-tallest modern style skyscraper in the city, behind the Cityplex Tower, the First Place Tower, the University Club Tower, Cityplex West Tower, the Liberty Towers complex and the Boulder Towers complex. The First National Bank Building notably stands as the first modern style high-rise to be built in Tulsa, and was the only skyscraper to be constructed in the city between 1928, when the 320 South Boston Building was completed, and 1960, when Boulder Towers West Tower was constructed.
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