Elevations: OGE Energy Plaza

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When the Robert A.M. Stern Architects, or RAMSA, designed the OGE Energy Plaza that will sit on the former Stage Center site, the architects didn’t neglect the city’s existing building aesthetics. The property is owned by Kestrel Investments and sits at the intersection of W. Sheridan and S. Hudson avenues.

“It’s a modern interpretation of the Art Deco style, which is found throughout Oklahoma City, but it’s been contemporized with larger windows and more light,” said Meghan McDermott with RAMSA, during a Downtown Design Review Committee in January.

The OGE Energy Plaza and parking garage have similar design aesthetics. The parking garage will be accessed from S. Walker and W. California avenues.

Architect Chris Heim said the design scheme was chosen as a counterpoint to the existing Devon Energy Center. While it won’t compare in height, he said the structure is designed to look tall.

“We’ve proportioned everything and grouped everything in such a way that it would have a colossal civic scale,” Heim said.

The building will stand 391 feet, 26 stories, with a limestone exterior with brown accents. It will measure 580,000 square feet in total.

“There’s a unique warm color to the limestone in Oklahoma City,” McDermott said. “We think that has to do with the dust and the air over time.”

The tower will sit along the eastern edge of the street. At one point, the tower was back 28 feet from the street, but city staff asked for it to be closer. It will now be 22 feet from the road. McDermott said the architects have noticed that the area is really windy, so they made sure to put all the plaza areas on the east side.

On the ground floor’s exterior, there will be several outdoor gathering spaces around the building. There will be a plaza at the northeast corner that will act as an outdoor room, McDermott said. It will have a kiosk structure that could serve as a cafe or other space during events. It will have outdoor seating as well.

“It will be synergistic with the outdoor plaza at (499 Sheridan Ave.),” she said.

The outdoor area will be dotted with public art, which will be seen in the OGE Energy Corp. lobby as well. Also on the first floor is more than 30,000 square feet in retail space. McDermott said these areas could be used for restaurants. Some retail faces W. California Avenue. Clayco Realty Group Principal Larry Chapman said he and the other developers would like to reactivate California Avenue and even potentially allow for street traffic.

The OGE Energy Plaza’s lobby will face Myriad Botanical Gardens. It has a 35-foot ceiling and will house a public art installation. Public art will also be placed in the green space above the parking garage.

McDermott said the firm sees this development as the entrance into downtown’s future growth.

“We’re very excited to be part of the urban renaissance underway in Oklahoma City,” McDermott said. “It’s a pivotal site. It’s really a cornerstone. We have really envisioned it as the vital first step in the expansion of downtown.”