BOK Tower, Skyscraper in downtown Tulsa, United States
BOK Tower is a 52-story office skyscraper in downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma, completed in 1976 and designed by Minoru Yamasaki & Associates. Its flat-topped rectangular shaft is clad in a regular grid of white stone piers alternating with narrow dark glass strips running unbroken from base to roof. At 667 feet (203 m) it was Oklahoma's tallest building until 2011.
The tower was designed by Minoru Yamasaki in 1976 as an adaptation of the World Trade Center's first tower in New York. Its construction marked a turning point in Tulsa's development as a modern financial hub during the oil boom era.
The tower's name comes from the Bank of Oklahoma, which occupies it; it was built for the Williams Companies, whose CEO John Williams hired Minoru Yamasaki after admiring the World Trade Center. Executives joked that the architects simply halved the plans for a Twin Tower. Its lobby has marble walls and wall hangings similar to those in the former World Trade Center.
The building has multiple ground-level entrances and is easily accessible from downtown streets. Visitors can explore the ground-floor plaza area with shops and dining options or simply view the architecture from the street.
John Williams, then CEO of the Williams Companies, chose Minoru Yamasaki after admiring the World Trade Center, and had two 30-story models stacked to show the design he wanted; the result was a single 52-story tower, double the planned height. Executives joked that the architects had simply halved the plans for a World Trade Center tower.
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