Construction Workers Celebrate Devon Tower In OKC

Dana Hertneky, News 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -- The Devon Tower is a major milestone for the Downtown Skyline. It has reached its peak and construction workers will celebrate with a topping out ceremony Wednesday.

The ceremony is for the 1200 to 1400 construction workers who have been working on the tower.

Fifty stories up, the final steel beam will be laid and an evergreen tree that's been growing near the tower will be placed at the tower's highest point.

"This whole project is ahead of schedule and under budget," said Larry Nichols, Devon's Executive Chairman.

That budget is about $750 million. That buys you 1.8 million square feet, 50 elevators, 117 restrooms, and 805 square feet of glass, which is equal to nearly 17 football fields.

Along the tower's three corners, LED lights that will light up the tower from top to bottom with whatever color fits the season.

"For appropriate football games, basketball games, Valentines, Christmas, what have you," Nichols said.

Nichols and his father founded Devon Energy 40 years ago. The company has since grown that more than 2000 people will fill the building.

They will begin moving in February or March, although construction will continue on the tower until early 2013.

"They've already started several floors of doing all the interior work," said Nichols. "The cranes are coming down here in a couple months and we'll start doing the exterior and the landscaping,"

Wednesday's topping off ceremony will be the last major milestone before employees start moving in.