First National Center

Story

The First National Center, formerly known as First National Bank Building, is a prominent skyscraper in downtown Oklahoma City. The art deco tower is 446 feet (136 m) tall at the roof, and is 493 feet (150 m) at its spire and contains 33 floors. The building was constructed in 1931 by the First National Bank and Trust Company of Oklahoma City and has 990000sqft of office space. First National Center is currently the third tallest building in Oklahoma City, after the Devon Tower and Chase Tower, respectively. The tower is the sixth tallest building in the state of Oklahoma. The tower has a notable architectural resemblance to the Empire State Building in New York City.The First National Center is connected to adjacent buildings in the downtown area via the Oklahoma City Underground series of tunnels and elevated walkways. In 2007, the building had a 40% occupancy rate. By 2016, the occupancy rate had dropped to less than 20%.HistoryThe owner of the building was the First National Bank Corporation for use by the First National Bank and Trust Company of Oklahoma City. The bank's president E.P. Johnson and stockholders S.M. Gloyd, W.T. Hales, H.R. Hudson, R.A. Vose, and H.M. Johnson comprised the building's ownership and underwrote the construction. The cost of the building was $5 million.