BOK Center
Encyclopedia
The BOK Center, or Bank of Oklahoma Center, is a 19,100-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 an additional $18 million in privately-funded upgrades. Ground was broken on August 31, 2005 and a ribbon-cutting ceremony involving Tulsa musicians Garth Brooks
and Hanson
took place on August 30, 2008. The arena's schedule of concerts and other events began on August 31 with a community choir hosted by Sam Harris
.
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. The arena is managed and operated by SMG and named for the Bank of Oklahoma, which purchased naming rights for $11 million. Current permanent tenants are the Tulsa Oilers of the Central Hockey League
, the Tulsa Talons
of the Arena Football League, and the Tulsa Shock of the Women's National Basketball Association
. The facility will also host NBA preseason games and college basketball matchups on a regular basis and seek to attract national and regional sporting tournaments.
César Pelli was asked by Tulsa city officials to create an arena that would be an architectural icon. To achieve this, Pelli employed cultural and architectural themes of the city, including Native American, art deco
, and contemporary styles, making heavy use of swirling circular elements in the exterior and interior designs of the building. A 103 feet (31.4 m), 600 feet (182.9 m) long iconic glass facade featuring 1,600 350 pounds (158.8 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. 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 350000 square feet (32,516.1 m²) of exterior stainless steel panels, 75000 square feet (6,967.7 m²) of glass, 30000 cubic yards (22,936.6 m³) of concrete, and 4,000 tons of structural steel.
The arena encompasses 565000 square feet (52,490.2 m²) and reaches a maximum height of 134 feet (40.8 m). Inside, the bowl area's ceiling rests 120 feet (36.6 m) over the base floor and a 930 feet (283.5 m)-long HD ribbon screen wraps around the three-level seating area. There are 17,343 fixed seats, each ranging from 20 inches (50.8 cm) to 22 inches (55.9 cm) wide — an average width greater than the industry standard, including that of the Oklahoma City Arena in Oklahoma City. 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. 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 inches (55.9 cm) seats and furnished gathering and kitchen areas. In the main concourse, more than 130000 square feet (12,077.4 m²) of terrazzo flooring has aggregate
that contains 70 percent mother of pearl. 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.
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. The arena's hanging scoreboard, considered one of the most advanced in the country, is suspended above the arena floor and measures 50000 pounds (22,679.6 kg) and 30 by 33 ft (9.1 by 10.1 m), making use of four 8 by 14 ft (2.4 by 4.3 m) HD screens, four 8 by 8 ft (2.4 by 2.4 m) HD screens, a wrap-around 9 feet (2.7 m) HD screen, and another 3 foot (0.9144 m) wrap-around HD screen. Designed by Forty Forty Agency and manufactured by Daktronics
, it was built with $3.6 million in private donations, with some funds going toward an advanced video recording system.
There are 14 concession outlets, seven of which belong to Tulsa-area restaurants that supplement typical arena food. As of June 2008, partial restaurant branches within the building are In the Raw (sushi
), Billy's On the Square (American fast-casual
), Oklahoma Style BBQ, Ike's Chili BBQ, Rubicon Restaurant (baked potato
specialty), Mazzio's Italian Eatery
, and Borden Dairy (milkshakes, ice cream). General concessions serve Mexican food, chicken tender baskets, philly cheesesteaks
, hot dogs, corn dogs, chili cheese fries, bratwurst
, Panini sandwiches, and dessert items.
Nearly $1.5 million was allocated to artwork within the building in light of a city ordinance mandating that at least one percent 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 5000 pounds (2,268 kg) and hangs above the main concourse. Four 22 feet (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 ft (2.7 by 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, and a light display created by Jenny Holzer
is also within the arena.
in addition to the Oklahoma City 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. As of the arena's grand opening, John Bolton is its manager.
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 tax packages for arenas were rejected by voters 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.
Tulsa Vision Builders, a joint project of Tulsa-based Flintco and Manhattan Construction, was chosen to build the arena. 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. An additional $18 million in private funding was used in miscellaneous upgrades, bringing the total cost of the arena to $196 million.
and Elton John
, Lady Gaga
, Kenny Chesney
, Bruce Springsteen
, AC/DC
, Metallica
, Nine Inch Nails
, Celine Dion
, Brad Paisley
, Dane Cook
and Jonas Brothers
. The Eagles also scheduled a rare second performance at the BOK Center after their first concert sold out in 35 minutes. In late 2008, BOK Center 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.
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. As of August 2008, the Thunder was seeking to play preseason games annually in Tulsa, although the number of games had not been determined.
The BOK Center is home to two semi-pro and one professional sports teams. The Tulsa Oilers ice hockey team of the Central Hockey League
, the Tulsa Talons
Arena Football League
team, and beginning in May 2010, the Tulsa Shock of the Women's National Basketball Association
, previously known as the Detroit Shock
, which relocated from Detroit following end of the 2009 season, all play their home games at the BOK Center.
In its short existence, the arena has scored two notable opportunities to host men's college basketball games, the first being in March 2010, as the Conference USA Men's Basketball Tournament
was held there. The 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
.
The BOK Center will host two more big-name events in September 2011; Katy Perry's California Dreams Tour
September 17 and Taylor Swift's Speak Now World Tour
September 21.
performed on August 17. 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.
WWE Smackdown/ECW tapings were held on September 22, 2009 which was the first WWE event at the BOK Center. There was over 10,000 people which broke a record for most people at a WWE event at the BOK Center. The BOK Center hosted WWE Raw
on July 19, 2010, this was the first televised Raw in Tulsa since 1997. WWE then returned to do a Smackdown recording there on January 18, 2011. WWE returned to do WWE Raw
on August 29, 2011.
Taylor Swift - September 27, 2009; Fearless Tour
Tulsa's downtown was the site of projects anchored by the 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. The arena is expected to host 148 major and minor events in its first year, which are anticipated to generate $1.5 million in tax revenue and $92 million in economic impact. SMG is expected to earn $6,553,250 in revenue, giving it a $285,498 annual profit. In its first four months of operation, the BOK Center's ticket sales were nearly enough to reach Venues Todays 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 is 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.
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. 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. In its first three months of operation, the facility was featured or set to be featured in at least four major venue publications, 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. In late 2008, a survey of BOK Center visitors found that 96.7 percent felt the building's overall impression, staff, concessions, merchandise, and traffic flow were favorable.
The flowing design and acoustic properties of the 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 Cowboys Stadium, Reliant Stadium
in Houston, Texas
, Gallagher-Iba Arena
at Oklahoma State University, the Oklahoma City Arena in Oklahoma City
, the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tennessee
, and stadium renovations at the University of Oklahoma
and OSU, among other projects. City officials have praised Pelli for the design, 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." 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.
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 stadium. During major events, Tulsa Transit
runs free shuttle bus services to and from the stadium and downtown Tulsa . 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.
Arena
An arena is an enclosed area, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theater, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators. The key feature of an arena is that the event space is the...
and a primary indoor sports and event venue in Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...
, United States. Designed to accommodate arena football
Arena football
Arena football is a variety of gridiron football played by the Arena Football League . It is a proprietary game, the rights to which are owned by Gridiron Enterprises, and is played indoors on a smaller field than American or Canadian outdoor football, resulting in a faster and higher-scoring game....
, hockey
Hockey
Hockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.-Etymology:...
, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, concerts, and similar events, the facility was built at a cost of $178 million in public funds and an additional $18 million in privately-funded upgrades. Ground was broken on August 31, 2005 and a ribbon-cutting ceremony involving Tulsa musicians Garth Brooks
Garth Brooks
Troyal Garth Brooks , best known as Garth Brooks, is an American country music artist who helped make country music a worldwide phenomenon. His eponymous first album was released in 1989 and peaked at number 2 in the US country album chart while climbing to number 13 on the Billboard 200 album chart...
and Hanson
Hanson (band)
Hanson are an American pop rock band formed in Tulsa, Oklahoma, by brothers Isaac , Taylor , and Zac Hanson . They are best known for the 1997 hit song "MMMBop" from their major label debut album Middle of Nowhere, which earned three Grammy nominations...
took place on August 30, 2008. The arena's schedule of concerts and other events began on August 31 with a community choir hosted by Sam Harris
Sam Harris (singer)
Sam Harris is an American pop and musical theatre recording artist as well as a television, stage and film actor.-Singing:...
.
Designed by César Pelli
César Pelli
César Pelli is an Argentine architect known for designing some of the world's tallest buildings and other major urban landmarks. In 1991, the American Institute of Architects listed Pelli among the ten most influential living American architects...
, the architect of the Petronas Towers in Malaysia, the BOK Center is the flagship project of Tulsa County's Vision 2025
Vision 2025
Vision 2025 was a series of four propositions to increase Tulsa County's sales tax rate by $0.01 in order to fund capital improvements and provide economic development incentives....
long-range development initiative. Local firm, Matrix Architects Engineers Planners, Inc, is the architect and engineer of record. The arena is managed and operated by SMG and named for the Bank of Oklahoma, which purchased naming rights for $11 million. Current permanent tenants are the Tulsa Oilers of the Central Hockey League
Central Hockey League
The Central Hockey League is a mid-level professional hockey league, owned by Global Entertainment Corporation. Its current champions are the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs, which defeated the Colorado Eagles four games to three in the 2011 playoffs....
, the Tulsa Talons
Tulsa Talons
The San Antonio Talons are a professional arena football franchise in San Antonio, Texas that plays in the Arena Football League.The Talons began in 2000 in Tulsa, Oklahoma as the Tulsa Talons, a charter member of the defunct minor league Arena Football 2, also known as af2...
of the Arena Football League, and the Tulsa Shock of the Women's National Basketball Association
Women's National Basketball Association
The Women's National Basketball Association is a women's professional basketball league in the United States. It currently is composed of twelve teams. The league was founded on April 24, 1996 as the women's counterpart to the National Basketball Association...
. The facility will also host NBA preseason games and college basketball matchups on a regular basis and seek to attract national and regional sporting tournaments.
Design
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
, and contemporary styles, making heavy use of swirling circular elements in the exterior and interior designs of the building. A 103 feet (31.4 m), 600 feet (182.9 m) long iconic glass facade featuring 1,600 350 pounds (158.8 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
Zahner
Zahner or A. Zahner Company is an architectural metal & glass company located in Kansas City, Missouri.-History and Company Information:...
continue the upward spiraling path around the circumference of the structure. 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 350000 square feet (32,516.1 m²) of exterior stainless steel panels, 75000 square feet (6,967.7 m²) of glass, 30000 cubic yards (22,936.6 m³) of concrete, and 4,000 tons of structural steel.
The arena encompasses 565000 square feet (52,490.2 m²) and reaches a maximum height of 134 feet (40.8 m). Inside, the bowl area's ceiling rests 120 feet (36.6 m) over the base floor and a 930 feet (283.5 m)-long HD ribbon screen wraps around the three-level seating area. There are 17,343 fixed seats, each ranging from 20 inches (50.8 cm) to 22 inches (55.9 cm) wide — an average width greater than the industry standard, including that of the Oklahoma City Arena in Oklahoma City. 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. 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 inches (55.9 cm) seats and furnished gathering and kitchen areas. In the main concourse, more than 130000 square feet (12,077.4 m²) of terrazzo flooring has aggregate
Aggregate (composite)
Aggregate is the component of a composite material that resists compressive stress and provides bulk to the composite material. For efficient filling, aggregate should be much smaller than the finished item, but have a wide variety of sizes...
that contains 70 percent mother of pearl. 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.
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. Dressing rooms with wooden lockers, hydrotherapyHydrotherapy
Hydrotherapy, formerly called hydropathy, involves the use of water for pain-relief and treating illness. The term hydrotherapy itself is synonymous with the term water cure as it was originally marketed by practitioners and promoters in the 19th century...
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. The arena's hanging scoreboard, considered one of the most advanced in the country, is suspended above the arena floor and measures 50000 pounds (22,679.6 kg) and 30 by 33 ft (9.1 by 10.1 m), making use of four 8 by 14 ft (2.4 by 4.3 m) HD screens, four 8 by 8 ft (2.4 by 2.4 m) HD screens, a wrap-around 9 feet (2.7 m) HD screen, and another 3 foot (0.9144 m) wrap-around HD screen. Designed by Forty Forty Agency and manufactured by Daktronics
Daktronics
Daktronics is an American company based in Brookings, South Dakota that designs, manufactures, sells, and services video board, scoreboards, digital billboards and related products. The company is best known for its electronic LED displays...
, it was built with $3.6 million in private donations, with some funds going toward an advanced video recording system.
There are 14 concession outlets, seven of which belong to Tulsa-area restaurants that supplement typical arena food. As of June 2008, partial restaurant branches within the building are In the Raw (sushi
Sushi
is a Japanese food consisting of cooked vinegared rice combined with other ingredients . Neta and forms of sushi presentation vary, but the ingredient which all sushi have in common is shari...
), Billy's On the Square (American fast-casual
Fast casual restaurant
A fast casual restaurant is a type of restaurant that does not offer full table service, but promises a higher quality of food and atmosphere than a fast food restaurant. In the US, it is a relatively new and growing concept positioned between fast food and casual dining...
), Oklahoma Style BBQ, Ike's Chili BBQ, Rubicon Restaurant (baked potato
Baked potato
A baked potato, or jacket potato, is the edible result of baking a potato. When well cooked, a baked potato has a fluffy interior and a crisp skin. It may be served with fillings and condiments such as butter, cheese or ham....
specialty), Mazzio's Italian Eatery
Mazzio's
Mazzio's Corporation is the parent company of Mazzio's Italian Eatery and the former parent company of Zio's Italian Kitchen. In November 2007 Zio's Italian Kitchen was sold to a private company....
, and Borden Dairy (milkshakes, ice cream). General concessions serve Mexican food, chicken tender baskets, philly cheesesteaks
Cheesesteak
A cheesesteak, also known as a Philadelphia cheesesteak, Philly cheesesteak, cheese steak, or steak and cheese, is a sandwich made from thinly-sliced pieces of steak and melted cheese in a long roll...
, hot dogs, corn dogs, chili cheese fries, bratwurst
Bratwurst
A bratwurst is a sausage usually composed of veal, pork or beef. The plural in German is Bratwürste....
, Panini sandwiches, and dessert items.
Nearly $1.5 million was allocated to artwork within the building in light of a city ordinance mandating that at least one percent 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 5000 pounds (2,268 kg) and hangs above the main concourse. Four 22 feet (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 ft (2.7 by 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, and a light display created by Jenny Holzer
Jenny Holzer
Jenny Holzer is an American conceptual artist. Holzer lives and works in Hoosick Falls, New York.-Education:...
is also within the arena.
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 Tulsa Convention CenterTulsa Convention Center
The Maxwell Convention Center or Tulsa Convention Center is a 7,111-seat multi-purpose arena in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The civic arena was constructed in 1964 and named for Tulsa Mayor James L. Maxwell who was the driving force behind the planning and start of the venue...
in addition to the Oklahoma City Arena and Cox Convention Center
Cox Convention Center
The Cox Business Services Convention Center is a multi-purpose complex, located in downtown Oklahoma City, Oklahoma....
in Oklahoma City
Oklahoma city
Oklahoma City is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma.Oklahoma City may also refer to:*Oklahoma City metropolitan area*Downtown Oklahoma City*Uptown Oklahoma City*Oklahoma City bombing*Oklahoma City National Memorial...
, 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. As of the arena's grand opening, John Bolton is its manager.
History
Bill LaFortune
William "Bill" LaFortune served as the 34th mayor of Tulsa, Oklahoma from 2002 until 2006.Bill LaFortune's grandfather, Joseph LaFortune, was an oil executive and a noted philanthropist in Tulsa; his uncle, Robert J. LaFortune, was mayor of Tulsa from 1970 to 1978...
to hold a municipal planning conference was fulfilled within months of taking office in 2002. Although tax packages for arenas were rejected by voters 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
Vision 2025
Vision 2025 was a series of four propositions to increase Tulsa County's sales tax rate by $0.01 in order to fund capital improvements and provide economic development incentives....
, 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.
Tulsa Vision Builders, a joint project of Tulsa-based Flintco and Manhattan Construction, was chosen to build the arena. Its original budget was deemed $141 million, but increases in the cost of structural steel, concrete, and labor due to Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
and a robust local economy pushed the cost to $178 million in 2006. An additional $18 million in private funding was used in miscellaneous upgrades, bringing the total cost of the arena to $196 million.
Event history
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 Billy JoelBilly Joel
William Martin "Billy" Joel is an American musician and pianist, singer-songwriter, and classical composer. Since releasing his first hit song, "Piano Man", in 1973, Joel has become the sixth best-selling recording artist and the third best-selling solo artist in the United States, according to...
and Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
, Lady Gaga
Lady GaGa
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta , better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, she primarily studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and briefly attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before withdrawing to...
, Kenny Chesney
Kenny Chesney
Kenneth "Kenny" Arnold Chesney is an American country music singer and songwriter. Chesney has recorded 15 albums, 14 of which have been certified gold or higher by the RIAA. He has also produced more than 30 Top Ten singles on the U.S...
, Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
, AC/DC
AC/DC
AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...
, Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
, Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails is an American industrial rock project, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. As its main producer, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, Reznor is the only official member of Nine Inch Nails and remains solely responsible for its direction...
, Celine Dion
Celine Dion
Céline Marie Claudette Dion, , , is a Canadian singer. Born to a large family from Charlemagne, Quebec, Dion emerged as a teen star in the French-speaking world after her manager and future husband René Angélil mortgaged his home to finance her first record...
, Brad Paisley
Brad Paisley
Brad Douglas Paisley is an American singer-songwriter and musician. His style crosses between traditional country music and Southern rock, and his songs are frequently laced with humor and pop culture references....
, Dane Cook
Dane Cook
Dane Jeffrey Cook is an American stand-up comedian and film actor. He has released five comedy albums: Harmful If Swallowed; Retaliation; Vicious Circle; Rough Around The Edges: Live From Madison Square Garden; and Isolated Incident. In 2006, Retaliation became the highest charting comedy album...
and Jonas Brothers
Jonas Brothers
The Jonas Brothers are an American boy band. The band gained its popularity from the Disney Channel children's television network. From the shore region of New Jersey, the band consists of three brothers: Paul Kevin Jonas II , Joseph Adam Jonas , and Nicholas Jerry Jonas...
. The Eagles also scheduled a rare second performance at the BOK Center after their first concert sold out in 35 minutes. In late 2008, BOK Center 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.
On October 13, 2008, the NBA's Oklahoma City Thunder
Oklahoma City Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder are a professional basketball franchise based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ; their home court is at Chesapeake Energy Arena....
played the Houston Rockets
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The team plays in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1967, and played in San Diego, California for four years, before being...
in its first preseason game since leaving Seattle for Oklahoma
Seattle SuperSonics relocation to Oklahoma City
The Seattle SuperSonics relocation to Oklahoma City was a successful effort by the ownership group of the Seattle SuperSonics to move the team to Oklahoma City...
and was the first major sporting event at the BOK Center. As of August 2008, the Thunder was seeking to play preseason games annually in Tulsa, although the number of games had not been determined.
The BOK Center is home to two semi-pro and one professional sports teams. The Tulsa Oilers ice hockey team of the Central Hockey League
Central Hockey League
The Central Hockey League is a mid-level professional hockey league, owned by Global Entertainment Corporation. Its current champions are the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs, which defeated the Colorado Eagles four games to three in the 2011 playoffs....
, the Tulsa Talons
Tulsa Talons
The San Antonio Talons are a professional arena football franchise in San Antonio, Texas that plays in the Arena Football League.The Talons began in 2000 in Tulsa, Oklahoma as the Tulsa Talons, a charter member of the defunct minor league Arena Football 2, also known as af2...
Arena Football League
Arena Football League
The Arena Football League is the highest level of professional indoor American football in the United States. It is currently the second longest running professional football league in the United States, after the National Football League. It was founded in 1987 by Jim Foster...
team, and beginning in May 2010, the Tulsa Shock of the Women's National Basketball Association
Women's National Basketball Association
The Women's National Basketball Association is a women's professional basketball league in the United States. It currently is composed of twelve teams. The league was founded on April 24, 1996 as the women's counterpart to the National Basketball Association...
, previously known as the Detroit Shock
Detroit Shock
The Detroit Shock was a Women's National Basketball Association team based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. They were the 2003, 2006 and 2008 WNBA champion...
, which relocated from Detroit following end of the 2009 season, all play their home games at the BOK Center.
In its short existence, the arena has scored two notable opportunities to host men's college basketball games, the first being in March 2010, as the Conference USA Men's Basketball Tournament
Conference USA Men's Basketball Tournament
The Conference USA Men's Basketball Tournament is held annually following the end of the regular season of NCAA Division I Men's Basketball.After the conference realignment, the tournament was held at the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tennessee, for five seasons...
was held there. The BOK Center later hosted second and third round games in the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
on March 18 and 20, 2011.
The Professional Bull Riders began hosting Built Ford Tough Series
Built Ford Tough Series
The Built Ford Tough Series is the "major league" tour of the PBR competitions. It is a 30-city event series culminating in the PBR World Finals every year in Las Vegas, Nevada. The top 45 riders of the PBR compete in the BFTS with the rankings determined by points and money won...
events at the BOK Center in 2009, after having previously occupied the Tulsa Convention Center
Tulsa Convention Center
The Maxwell Convention Center or Tulsa Convention Center is a 7,111-seat multi-purpose arena in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The civic arena was constructed in 1964 and named for Tulsa Mayor James L. Maxwell who was the driving force behind the planning and start of the venue...
.
The BOK Center will host two more big-name events in September 2011; Katy Perry's California Dreams Tour
California Dreams Tour
California Dreams Tour is the second concert tour by American pop singer Katy Perry, in support of her third studio album Teenage Dream. Beginning February 2011, the tour will visit Europe, Australasia, Asia and the Americas...
September 17 and Taylor Swift's Speak Now World Tour
Speak Now World Tour
Speak Now World Tour is the second concert tour by American country singer-songwriter, Taylor Swift, in support of her third studio album, Speak Now. The tour visited Asia, Europe, North America and Australasia...
September 21.
Notable event facts
Paul McCartneyPaul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
performed on August 17. 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.
WWE Smackdown/ECW tapings were held on September 22, 2009 which was the first WWE event at the BOK Center. There was over 10,000 people which broke a record for most people at a WWE event at the BOK Center. The BOK Center hosted WWE Raw
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
on July 19, 2010, this was the first televised Raw in Tulsa since 1997. WWE then returned to do a Smackdown recording there on January 18, 2011. WWE returned to do WWE Raw
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
on August 29, 2011.
Concert sellouts
- The Eagles - September 6, 2008
- Paul McCartney - August 17, 2009
- George Strait & Reba McEntire - February 20, 2010
- Nickelback - April 24, 2010
- Brooks & Dunn - May 28, 2010
- Justin Bieber - July 6, 2010
- Lady Gaga - April 4, 2011; The Monster Ball Tour
- Taylor Swift - September 21, 2011; Speak Now World Tour
Taylor Swift - September 27, 2009; Fearless Tour
Impact and reception
The arena won Facilities Magazine's Prime Site Award in 2008, which is based on opinions from representatives in the site selection
Site selection
Site Selection indicates the practice of new facility location, both for business and government. Site selection involves measuring the needs of a new project against the merits of potential locations...
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. The arena was also one of four venues nominated for Pollstar
Pollstar
Pollstar is a concert tour industry's leading trade publication that gets its information primarily from the agents, managers and promoters who are producing concerts. Founded in 1981, it is based in Fresno, California and has an office in London with correspondents in six countries. Pollstar is...
's 2008 "Best New Major Concert Venue" award, which is set to be decided in January 2009. In its first three months of operation, the facility was featured or set to be featured in at least four major venue publications, 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. In late 2008, a survey of BOK Center visitors found that 96.7 percent felt the building's overall impression, staff, concessions, merchandise, and traffic flow were favorable.
The flowing design and acoustic properties of the BOK Center have been praised by Tulsa Vision Builders, Tulsa city officials, and Garth Brooks
Garth Brooks
Troyal Garth Brooks , best known as Garth Brooks, is an American country music artist who helped make country music a worldwide phenomenon. His eponymous first album was released in 1989 and peaked at number 2 in the US country album chart while climbing to number 13 on the Billboard 200 album chart...
. 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 Cowboys Stadium, Reliant Stadium
Reliant Stadium
Reliant Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium, in Houston, Texas, USA. Reliant Stadium has a seating capacity of 71,500, a total square footage of with of natural grass playing surface....
in Houston, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, Gallagher-Iba Arena
Gallagher-Iba Arena
Gallagher-Iba Arena, also known as "The Rowdiest Arena in the Country" and "The Madison Square Garden of the Plains”, is the basketball and wrestling venue at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States...
at Oklahoma State University, the Oklahoma City Arena in Oklahoma City
Oklahoma city
Oklahoma City is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma.Oklahoma City may also refer to:*Oklahoma City metropolitan area*Downtown Oklahoma City*Uptown Oklahoma City*Oklahoma City bombing*Oklahoma City National Memorial...
, the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, and stadium renovations at the University of Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
and OSU, among other projects. City officials have praised Pelli for the design, and Brooks, who held a 2007 concert at Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
's new Sprint Center
Sprint Center
Sprint Center is a large, multi-use indoor arena in downtown Kansas City, Missouri. The building is located at 14th Street and Grand Boulevard, on the east side of the Power & Light District...
, 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." 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
Arkansas River
The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. The Arkansas generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The river's initial basin starts in the Western United States in Colorado, specifically the Arkansas...
, and the city's American Indian history, and anticipated that it would be a major catalyst for private development in Tulsa's downtown area.
Transportation
Metropolitan Tulsa Transit Authority
Metropolitan Tulsa Transit Authority, shorthandedly known as Tulsa Transit is the public transit system operating buses and paratransit for Tulsa, Oklahoma. In existence since 1968, the system consists of 21 regular routes and 4 night routes...
runs free shuttle bus services to and from the stadium and downtown Tulsa . 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.