BOK Center

The BOK Center, or Bank of Oklahoma Center, is a 19,199-seat multi-purpose arena and a primary indoor sports and event venue in Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States. Designed to accommodate arena football, hockey, basketball, concerts, and similar events, the facility was built at a cost of $178 million in public funds and $18 million in privately funded upgrades. Ground was broken on August 31, 2005 and a ribbon-cutting ceremony took place on August 30, 2008.[8]

BOK Center
Full nameBank of Oklahoma Center
Address200 South Denver Avenue West
LocationTulsa, Oklahoma, U.S.
OwnerCity of Tulsa
OperatorSMG
CapacityCentral stage: 19,199[1]
Basketball: 17,839[2]
Hockey: 17,096[1]
Arena football: 16,582[1]
End stage: 13,644[1]
Construction
Broke groundAugust 31, 2005
OpenedAugust 30, 2008
Construction costUS$196 million[3]
($233 million in 2014 dollars[4])
ArchitectPelli Clarke Pelli
MATRIX Architects, Inc.
Odell Associates[5]
Structural engineerThornton Tomasetti[6]
Services engineerLancorp Engineering[7]
General contractorTulsa Vision Builders, a joint venture between Flintco Inc. and Manhattan Construction Company[5]
Tenants
Tulsa Oilers (ECHL) (2008–present)
Tulsa Talons (af2/AFL) (2009–2011)
Tulsa Shock (WNBA) (2010–2015)

Designed by César Pelli, the architect of the Petronas Towers in Malaysia, the BOK Center is the flagship project of Tulsa County's Vision 2025 long-range development initiative. Local firm, Matrix Architects Engineers Planners, Inc, is the architect and engineer of record.[9] The arena is managed and operated by SMG and named for the Bank of Oklahoma, which purchased naming rights for $11 million.[10] The only current permanent tenant is the Tulsa Oilers of the ECHL.The BOK Center was the former home of the Tulsa Shock of the Women's National Basketball Association[11] and the Tulsa Talons of the Arena Football League.

Design
The arena's main lobby. Terrazzo flooring features Native American artwork.

Tulsa city officials asked César Pelli to create an arena that would be an architectural icon.[12][13] To achieve this, Pelli employed cultural and architectural themes of the city, including Native American, art deco, and contemporary styles.[14] He made heavy use of swirling circular elements in the exterior and interior designs of the building.[15] A 103-foot (31 m), 600-foot (180 m) long glass facade featuring 1,600 350-pound (160 kg) panels wrap around the building in an escalating motion leaning at a five-degree angle. 33,000 stainless steel panels produced and installed by Zahner continue the upward spiraling path around the circumference of the structure.[16][17] The interior follows the motion, with grand staircases that wrap around a portion of the building from the main lobby. In total, the building's design required 350,000 square feet (33,000 m2) of exterior stainless steel panels, 75,000 square feet (7,000 m2) of glass, 30,000 cubic yards (23,000 m3) of concrete, and 4,000 tons of structural steel.[1]

The arena encompasses 565,000 square feet (52,500 m2) and reaches a maximum height of 134 feet (41 m). Inside, the bowl area's ceiling rises 120 feet (37 m) over the base floor and a 930-foot (280 m)-long HD ribbon screen wraps around the three-level seating area. There are 17,343 fixed seats, each ranging from 20 inches (51 cm) to 22 inches (56 cm) wide—an average width greater than the industry standard, including that of Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City.[1] Actual capacity fluctuates with configuration patterns, and total seating can vary from 13,644 to 19,199—13,644 for partial-use concerts, 16,582 for arena football, 17,096 for hockey, 17,839 for basketball, and 19,199 for center stage concerts.[2] The bowl area's second floor, an exclusive carpeted level with a complete bar, houses press areas and 37 luxury suites, each with 15 22-inch (56 cm) seats and furnished gathering and kitchen areas. In the main concourse, more than 130,000 square feet (12,000 m2) of terrazzo flooring has aggregate that contains 70% mother of pearl.[1] Private funding exceeded original forecasts, and unexpected increases in revenue from corporate sponsorships, donations, and purchases of box seats and luxury boxes paid for an advanced light display for the glass wall that wraps around the front of the building and the scoreboard.[18]

The BOK Center's 30-by-33-foot (9.1 m × 10.1 m) scoreboard was funded with $3.6 million in private donations.

Amenities

The BOK Center holds 37 public restrooms—12 men's restrooms, 16 women's restrooms, and 9 family restrooms—with 300 toilets and urinals.[1] Dressing rooms with wooden lockers, hydrotherapy and workout rooms, a players lounge, locker rooms for game officials, and office space for coaches, trainers, and equipment managers are also located within the building.[19] The arena's hanging scoreboard, considered one of the most advanced in the country, is suspended above the arena floor and measures 50,000 pounds (23,000 kg) and 30 by 33 feet (9.1 m × 10.1 m), making use of four 8 by 14 feet (2.4 m × 4.3 m) HD screens, four 8 by 8 feet (2.4 m × 2.4 m) HD screens, a wrap-around 9-foot (2.7 m) HD screen, and another 3-foot (0.91 m) wrap-around HD screen. Designed by Forty Forty Agency and manufactured by Daktronics, the project received $3.6 million in private donations, with some funds going toward an advanced video recording system.[18]

There are 14 concession outlets, seven of which belong to Tulsa-area restaurants that supplement typical arena food. Restaurant branches within the building are Billy's On the Square (American fast-casual), Mazzio's, Papa John's, Doc Popcorn, and The Dog House (hot dogs). General concessions serve Mexican food at Wholly Tacomoli, stuffed pretzels and hot dogs at Backstage, gourmet hot dogs at Frank's, chicken baskets and baked potatoes at Fuel and chicken sandwiches and veggie burgers at Roadie's Grill.

Nearly $1.5 million was allocated to artwork within the building in light of a city ordinance mandating that at least 1% of construction costs for any municipal project be used for public art. Tulsa's Arts Commission selected five artists out of nearly 300 applicants to decorate the interior of the building with the intention of capturing the spirit of the city and state. Of their pieces, the largest is a cloud-like cloth sculpture designed by Kendell Buster that weighs 5,000 pounds (2,300 kg) and hangs above the main concourse. Four 22-foot (6.7 m) Native American medallions designed by Bill and Demos Glass decorate the main concourse floor, along with a series of 25 paintings of tallgrass prairie landscapes created by Mark Lewis that adorn a wall on the main lobby's third level. A 9 by 24 feet (2.7 m × 7.3 m) black-and-white painting of rearing horses created by Joe Andoe hangs on a wall near a concession stand on the north side of the building,[20] and a light display created by Jenny Holzer is also within the arena.[13]

Ownership and management

The city of Tulsa owns the arena but has a five-year management contract worth $950,000 with SMG property management, the largest arena manager in the world. SMG, which also manages the nearby Cox Business Center in addition to Chesapeake Energy Arena and Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City, employs more than 70 full-time workers and 400 part-time workers in Tulsa and assumes the building's annual operations cost of $6,267,752. The current General Manager is Casey Sparks.

History
A public open house on August 30, 2008 served as the arena's opening event.

A campaign promise by former Tulsa mayor Bill LaFortune to hold a municipal planning conference was fulfilled within months of taking office in 2002. Although voters rejected tax packages for arenas in 1997 and 2000, a third plan for a downtown arena was the brainchild of the conference, along with dozens of other projects throughout Tulsa County, including a renovation of the nearby Tulsa Convention Center costing $42 million. Vision 2025, a tax initiative increasing sales taxes by six-tenths of a cent over 13 years, was approved by voters in September 2003. Pelli's design was released in September 2004 and construction began in August 2005.[21]

Tulsa Vision Builders, a joint project of Tulsa-based Flintco and Manhattan Construction, was chosen to build the arena.[22] Its original budget was deemed $141 million, but increases in the cost of structural steel, concrete, and labor due to Hurricane Katrina and a robust local economy pushed the cost to $178 million in 2006.[23][24] An additional $18 million in private funding was used in miscellaneous upgrades, bringing the total cost of the arena to $196 million.[3]

Event history

A ribbon-cutting ceremony involving Tulsa musicians Garth Brooks and Hanson took place on August 30, 2008.[8] The arena's schedule of concerts and other events began on August 31 with a community choir hosted by Sam Harris.[25]

The first announced concert was on September 6, 2008 and featured the Eagles. Since its grand opening, the BOK Center has hosted many big-name acts such as Paul McCartney, Billy Joel, Elton John, U2, Justin Timberlake, Garth Brooks, Britney Spears, Janet Jackson, Lady Gaga, Guns N' Roses, Kenny Chesney, Bruce Springsteen, Twenty One Pilots, AC/DC, Metallica, Nine Inch Nails, Celine Dion, Taylor Swift, Brad Paisley, Dane Cook, Jonas Brothers, The Weeknd, and Panic! At The Disco. The Eagles also scheduled a rare second performance at the BOK Center after their first concert sold out in 35 minutes.[26] In late 2008, BOK Center General Manager John Bolton was given Venues Today's "Hall of Headlines" award after a poll of venue managers, owners, operators and bookers determined that Bolton had the highest level of success in booking high-quality performances among international venues in 2008.[27]

On October 13, 2008, the NBA's Oklahoma City Thunder played the Houston Rockets in its first preseason game since leaving Seattle for Oklahoma and was the first major sporting event at the BOK Center.[28] As of August 2008, the Thunder was seeking to play preseason games annually in Tulsa, although the number of games had not been determined.[29] The next Thunder preseason game took place on October 3, 2017, against the Houston Rockets.

The BOK Center is home to one minor league professional sports team, the Tulsa Oilers ice hockey team of the ECHL. The arena was formerly the home of the Tulsa Talons Arena Football League team from 2009 (while they were in the af2) to 2011. Also, the Tulsa Shock of the Women's National Basketball Association, previously known as the Detroit Shock,[11] played all play their home games at the BOK Center from 2010 to 2015 before relocating to Dallas-Ft. Worth.

In March 2010, the Conference USA Men's Basketball Tournament was held there. BOK Center later hosted second and third-round games in the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship on March 18 and 20, 2011.

The Professional Bull Riders began hosting Built Ford Tough Series events at the BOK Center in 2009, after having previously occupied the Tulsa Convention Center.

On June 20, 2020, US President Donald Trump visited the BOK Center for a campaign rally. This was his first campaign rally in 110 days.[30] The reported attendance turn out was seemingly "lower than expected,", though it attracted considerable cable news and political network ratings.[31][32]

Notable event facts

Paul McCartney performed on August 17, 2009. The event launched the "One Year Birthday" celebration of the venue. The stop in Tulsa was McCartney's first in Oklahoma since 2002 and was the only arena show of his 2009 Summer Tour. McCartney also played at the venue on May 29 and 30, 2013 as part of his, Out There! Tour.

Events

Impact and reception
The BOK Center's iconic main entrance

Tulsa's downtown was the site of projects anchored by BOK Center, including a $42 million renovation of the Tulsa Convention Center, a $20 million renovation of downtown streets, a $4 million renovation and expansion of a nearby parking garage, streetscape improvements, and art deco-style signs directing visitors to parking garages, public buildings, specialty districts, and entertainment venues.[40] The arena was expected to host 148 major and minor events in its first year, which was anticipated to generate $1.5 million in tax revenue[41] and $92 million in economic impact.[42] SMG was expected to earn $6,553,250 in revenue, giving it a $285,498 annual profit.[41] In its first four months of operation, BOK Center's ticket sales were nearly enough to reach Venues Today's top 20 worldwide rankings for total ticket sales in 2008 among venues seating 15,001-30,000. The arena reached $20 million in sales in 2008, and was projected to surpass at least $30 million in 2009, which would put it within the top 15 worldwide in sales according to the 2008 rankings.[43]

The arena won Facilities Magazine's Prime Site Award in 2008, which is based on opinions from representatives in the site selection industry, booking agents, promoters, talent buyers, and special event planners, who judge based on location, functionality, technical capabilities, quality of staff, food and beverage, lighting, sound, and staging.[44] The arena was also one of four venues nominated for Pollstar's 2008 "Best New Major Concert Venue" award, which is set to be decided in January 2009.[45] In its first three months of operation, the facility was featured or set to be featured in at least four major venue publications,[46] including Venues Today, which gave its 2008 "Hall of Headlines" award to BOK Center manager John Bolton after a poll of venue managers, owners, operators and bookers determined that Bolton had the highest level of success worldwide in booking high-quality performances in 2008.[27] In late 2008, a survey of BOK Center visitors found that 96.7% felt the building's overall impression, staff, concessions, merchandise, and traffic flow were favorable.[46]

The flowing design and acoustic properties of BOK Center have been praised by Tulsa Vision Builders, Tulsa city officials, and Garth Brooks. Officials from Flintco and Manhattan Construction have called the BOK Center one of the best architectural designs in their 100-year histories of building projects. The companies have worked on AT&T Stadium, NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, Gallagher-Iba Arena at Oklahoma State University, Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tennessee, and stadium renovations at the University of Oklahoma and OSU, among other projects.[22] City officials have praised Pelli for the design,[21] and Brooks, who held a 2007 concert at Kansas City's new Sprint Center, said at the BOK Center's grand opening, "You guys have got (the Sprint Center) beat hands down. It houses as many people, yet it's warm and small. It's as beautiful and grand as any place I've played."[47] Pelli reacted to the arena's completion by saying that it had taken a "life of its own" since he designed the building, but that the results were exciting and impressed him. He said the building has taken a form that pays tribute to Tulsa's art deco, the nearby Arkansas River, and the city's American Indian history, and anticipated that it would be a major catalyst for private development in Tulsa's downtown area.[15]

Transportation
Streets bordering the BOK Center's back entrance are closed to traffic during events.

City officials estimate there are 12,000 parking spaces within a 10-minute walk of the BOK Center with a city-owned parking garage diagonally across the street from the arena.[48] During major events, Tulsa Transit runs free shuttle bus services to and from the arena and downtown Tulsa.[49] Through a program instituted by the Tulsa Convention and Visitors Bureau, 50 guides are stationed within dozens of blocks of the arena during major events to help with parking and provide general information about shuttle services, events, and downtown Tulsa.[48]

References
  1. "Inside the BOK Center" (pdf). Tulsa World. 2007. Retrieved August 30, 2008.
  2. "Inside BOK Center Capacity" (pdf). Tulsa World. 2007. Retrieved August 30, 2008.
  3. Barber, Brian (August 24, 2008). "Private Money Provided Upgrades". Tulsa World. Retrieved August 30, 2008.
  4. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  5. Projects To Watch In 2008
  6. Thornton Tomasetti - BOK Center
  7. "Community Buildings and Attractions". Lancorp Engineering. Archived from the original on March 11, 2016. Retrieved April 23, 2014.
  8. Barber, Brian (July 7, 2008). "Garth Brooks to Cut Ribbon at BOK Center Opening". Tulsa World. Retrieved July 12, 2008.
  9. Lassek, P.J. (February 11, 2004). "Vision 2025: Tulsa Combination Lands Arena Contract". Tulsa World. Retrieved October 10, 2008.
  10. "Tulsa's BOK Center". Tulsa Today. October 28, 2005. Retrieved September 2, 2008.
  11. "Tulsa Shock Official Website". Archived from the original on February 11, 2010.
  12. "Arena Schematic Design Presented". Vision 2025. 2006. Archived from the original on June 22, 2008. Retrieved May 7, 2007.
  13. "BOK Center Highlights". SMG. Archived from the original on October 17, 2007. Retrieved September 2, 2008.
  14. Barber, Brian (September 28, 2004). "Leaders Praise Arena Design". Tulsa World. Retrieved May 7, 2007.
  15. Barber, Brian (July 24, 2008). "Pelli's Arena Grows Up". Tulsa World. Retrieved August 30, 2008.
  16. Barber, Brian (December 6, 2007). "Pane-Staking Work: Glass Goes Onto Arena Wall". Tulsa World. Retrieved August 30, 2008.
  17. Pickard, R.G. "Tulsa's New BOK Center Arena". BDC Network. Retrieved November 30, 2010.
  18. Barber, Brian (June 19, 2008). "Arena Sign Scores Big for the City". Tulsa World. Retrieved July 12, 2008.
  19. "Tulsa Talons will Play at the BOK Center". SMG. October 23, 2007. Archived from the original on August 29, 2008. Retrieved August 30, 2008.
  20. Barber, Brian (August 20, 2014). "Artists Enliven BOK's Interior". Tulsa World. Retrieved August 22, 2019.
  21. Barber, Brian (August 24, 2008). "BOK Center an Icon of Tulsa". Tulsa World. Retrieved August 30, 2008.
  22. Barber, Brian (August 24, 2008). "Arena Product of Joint Effort". Tulsa World. Retrieved August 30, 2008.
  23. "BOK Construction Progressing on New Tulsa Arena". KFOR. Oklahoma City. August 27, 2007. Archived from the original on December 15, 2008. Retrieved September 2, 2008.
  24. Barber, Brian (June 13, 2007). "BOK Center Construction: Officials See New Arena's Grand Scale". Tulsa World. Archived from the original on October 8, 2007. Retrieved June 13, 2007.
  25. "Multifaith Celebration". SMG. August 1, 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-08-27. Retrieved September 2, 2008.
  26. Chancellor, Jennifer (August 26, 2008). "Eagles to Perform at BOK Center Again in November". Tulsa World. Retrieved August 30, 2008.
  27. "BOK Center General Manager Wins Top International Accolade". BOK Center. November 17, 2008. Archived from the original on December 17, 2008. Retrieved December 8, 2008.
  28. "Oklahoma City NBA Team Will Play First In-State Game in Tulsa". Tulsa World. August 11, 2008. Retrieved August 11, 2008.
  29. "BOK Center Could Host More Exhibition Games". Tulsa World. July 3, 2008. Archived from the original on January 18, 2008. Retrieved July 3, 2008.
  30. Segers, Grace (June 21, 2020). "Trump holds first campaign rally in 110 days". CBS News. Retrieved June 23, 2020 – via Yahoo! News.
  31. Olson, Tyler (June 20, 2020). "Trump mocks Seattle 'anarchists,' tears into Biden at Tulsa rally; campaign spars with Dems on crowd size". Fox News. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  32. Flood, Brian (June 22, 2020). "Trump rally gives Fox News largest Saturday night audience in its history". Fox News. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  33. McDonnell, Brandy (August 28, 2008). "Eagles Will Make Second Stop at Tulsa's BOK Center". The Oklahoman. Oklahoma City. Archived from the original on July 8, 2012. Retrieved June 30, 2010.
  34. Mitchell, Bill (July 20, 2009). "Paul McCartney Tickets: Sold Out". KTUL. Archived from the original on July 24, 2009. Retrieved June 30, 2010.
  35. "Strait and Reba Sell Out BOK Center in Under an Hour". Tulsa World. January 23, 2010. Retrieved June 30, 2010.
  36. Allen, Bob (May 13, 2010). "Hot Tours: George Strait & Reba, Nickelback, Paul McCartney". Billboard. Retrieved June 30, 2010.
  37. "BOK Center: Year in Review". Tulsa World. 2009. Archived from the original on November 28, 2009. Retrieved July 5, 2010.
  38. Chancellor, Jennifer (July 5, 2010). "Bieber Fever Hits Tulsa BOK Center". Tulsa World. Retrieved July 5, 2010.
  39. "Rush Concert Tour Dates Listing". Cygnus-X1.net. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  40. Barber, Brian (August 24, 2008). "Finishing Touches Still to Go". Tulsa World. Retrieved August 30, 2008.
  41. Barber, Brian (August 24, 2008). "Management Boasts Experience". Tulsa World. Retrieved August 30, 2008.
  42. "Project: BOK Center". Tulsa County. Archived from the original on December 15, 2008. Retrieved August 30, 2008.
  43. Barber, Brian (December 26, 2008). "Top-20 Sales Goal for Arena". Tulsa World. Retrieved December 29, 2008.
  44. Carter, Marla (December 7, 2008). "BOK Center wins national award". KJRH. Tulsa. Archived from the original on December 15, 2008. Retrieved December 8, 2008.
  45. Clark, Richard (December 3, 2008). "BOK Center Nominated For Award". KOTV. Archived from the original on December 5, 2008. Retrieved December 8, 2008.
  46. Barber, Biran (November 16, 2008). "Satisfaction Reported by Arena Customers". Tulsa World. Retrieved December 8, 2008.
  47. Barber, Brian (July 8, 2008). "Not Now, Says Garth". Tulsa World. Archived from the original on August 1, 2008. Retrieved August 30, 2008.
  48. Lassek, P.J. (August 24, 2008). "Ins and Outs of Parking". Tulsa World. Retrieved September 2, 2008.
  49. "BOK Shuttles". Tulsa Transit. Archived from the original on May 12, 2011. Retrieved May 7, 2011.
Events and tenants
Preceded by
The Palace of Auburn Hills (as Detroit Shock)		 Home of the
Tulsa Shock
2010–2015		 Succeeded by
College Park Center
Preceded by
Tulsa Convention Center		 Home of the
Tulsa Talons
2009–2011		 Succeeded by
Alamodome (San Antonio)
Preceded by
Tulsa Convention Center		 Home of the
Tulsa Oilers
2008–present		 Succeeded by
current

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