BOK Center facts for kids

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BOK Center
Construction


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Full name	Bank of Oklahoma Center
Address	200 South Denver Avenue West
Location	Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States
Owner	City of Tulsa
Operator	Oak View Group
Capacity	Central stage: 19,199 Basketball: 17,839 Hockey: 17,096 Arena football: 16,582 End stage: 13,644
Broke ground	August 31, 2005
Opened	August 30, 2008
Construction cost	US$196 million ($266 million in 2024 dollars )
Architect	Pelli Clarke Pelli MATRIX Architects, Inc. Odell Associates
Structural engineer	Thornton Tomasetti
Services engineer	Lancorp Engineering
General contractor	Tulsa Vision Builders, a joint venture between Flintco Inc. and Manhattan Construction Company
Tenants
Tulsa Oilers (ECHL) (2008–present) Tulsa Oilers (IFL) (2023–present) Tulsa Talons (AF2/AFL) (2009–2011) Tulsa Shock (WNBA) (2010–2015)

The BOK Center, also known as the Bank of Oklahoma Center, is a huge building in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA. It's a multi-purpose arena where many different events happen. It can hold up to 19,199 people!

This arena is a main spot for indoor sports and shows in Tulsa. Two sports teams currently call the BOK Center home. They are the Tulsa Oilers ice hockey team from the ECHL and the Tulsa Oilers indoor football team from the Indoor Football League. Both teams are owned by Andy Scurto. The BOK Center was also once home to the Tulsa Shock women's basketball team and the Tulsa Talons arena football team.

Building the BOK Center cost about $196 million. Most of this money came from public funds, with some extra help from private donations. Construction started on August 31, 2005. The arena officially opened its doors on August 30, 2008.

The famous architect César Pelli designed the BOK Center. He also designed the Petronas Towers in Malaysia. The BOK Center was a big part of Tulsa County's plan to improve the area, called Vision 2025. A local company, Matrix Architects Engineers Planners, Inc., also helped with the design. The arena is managed by OVG. It got its name because the Bank of Oklahoma paid $11 million for the naming rights.

Building the BOK Center: Design and Features
- Arena Features and Comforts
How the BOK Center is Managed
History of the BOK Center
- Major Events at the BOK Center
- Special Moments at the BOK Center
Getting to the BOK Center
See also

Building the BOK Center: Design and Features

The arena's main lobby. Its floor has cool Native American art.

Tulsa city leaders wanted the BOK Center to be a special building that stood out. César Pelli used ideas from Tulsa's culture and architecture to design it. He included themes from Native American art, art deco style, and modern designs.

Pelli used lots of swirling, circular shapes in the building's outside and inside. A huge glass wall, about 103 feet tall and 600 feet long, wraps around the building. It has 1,600 heavy glass panels and leans at a slight angle. Over 33,000 stainless steel panels continue this upward spiral around the building. Inside, grand staircases also swirl upwards from the main lobby.

The building used a lot of materials. This included 350,000 square feet of stainless steel panels, 75,000 square feet of glass, 30,000 cubic yards of concrete, and 4,000 tons of steel.

The arena covers 565,000 square feet and is 134 feet tall at its highest point. Inside, the main seating area's ceiling is 120 feet above the floor. A 930-foot-long HD video screen wraps around the three levels of seats. There are 17,343 permanent seats, which are wider than average.

The number of seats can change depending on the event.

For concerts with a partial stage, it holds 13,644 people.
For arena football, it holds 16,582.
For hockey, it holds 17,096.
For basketball, it holds 17,839.
For concerts with a center stage, it holds 19,199.

The second floor of the seating area is a special carpeted level. It has a bar, areas for the press, and 37 luxury suites. Each suite has 15 seats and areas for gathering and a kitchen. In the main concourse, the floor is made of terrazzo, which includes 70% mother of pearl. Extra money from sponsorships and luxury box sales helped pay for a cool light display on the glass wall and a new scoreboard.

The BOK Center's large scoreboard was paid for by private donations.

Arena Features and Comforts

The BOK Center has 37 public restrooms: 12 for men, 16 for women, and 9 for families. In total, there are 300 toilets and urinals. The building also has dressing rooms with wooden lockers, special rooms for water therapy and workouts, and a lounge for players. There are also locker rooms for game officials and offices for coaches and team staff.

The arena's scoreboard hangs above the main floor. It weighs 50,000 pounds and is 30 by 33 feet. It has four large 8 by 14-foot HD screens, four smaller 8 by 8-foot HD screens, and two wrap-around HD screens. This scoreboard was designed by Forty Forty Agency and built by Daktronics. Private donations of $3.6 million helped pay for it and an advanced video recording system.

There are 14 places to buy food and drinks. Seven of these are local Tulsa restaurants that offer different food than typical arena snacks. You can find places like Billy's On the Square (American food), Mazzio's, Papa John's, Doc Popcorn, and The Dog House (hot dogs). Other stands serve Mexican food at Wholly Tacomoli, stuffed pretzels and hot dogs at Backstage, gourmet hot dogs at Frank's, chicken baskets at Fuel, and chicken sandwiches at Roadie's Grill.

About $1.5 million was spent on artwork inside the building. This was because of a city rule that says at least 1% of construction costs for city projects must go to public art. Tulsa's Arts Commission chose five artists to create art that shows the spirit of the city and state.

The largest artwork is a cloud-like cloth sculpture by Kendell Buster. It weighs 5,000 pounds and hangs above the main concourse.
Four large 22-foot Native American medallions by Bill and Demos Glass decorate the main concourse floor.
A series of 25 paintings of tallgrass prairie landscapes by Mark Lewis are on a wall on the main lobby's third level.
A 9 by 24-foot black-and-white painting of horses by Joe Andoe hangs near a concession stand.
A light display by Jenny Holzer is also inside the arena.

How the BOK Center is Managed

The city of Tulsa owns the BOK Center. However, a company called SMG property management runs it. SMG is one of the biggest arena managers in the world. They have a five-year contract worth $950,000 to manage the BOK Center. SMG also manages the nearby Cox Business Center and other venues in Oklahoma City. They employ over 70 full-time and 400 part-time workers in Tulsa. SMG also covers the building's yearly operating cost of about $6.2 million. Evan Falat is currently the interim general manager of the BOK Center.

History of the BOK Center

A public open house on August 30, 2008, was the arena's first event.

In 2002, former Tulsa mayor Bill LaFortune promised to hold a city planning meeting. This meeting led to the idea of building a new arena in Downtown Tulsa. Even though voters had said no to arena tax plans before, this new plan was approved in September 2003. It was part of the Vision 2025 tax initiative, which increased sales taxes for 13 years to pay for many projects. César Pelli's design for the arena was shared in September 2004, and construction started in August 2005.

Tulsa Vision Builders, a team-up between Flintco and Manhattan Construction, built the arena. The original budget was $141 million. But costs for steel, concrete, and labor went up because of Hurricane Katrina and a strong local economy. This pushed the cost to $178 million by 2006. An extra $18 million in private money was used for other upgrades, making the total cost $196 million.

Major Events at the BOK Center

The BOK Center had its official opening ceremony on August 30, 2008. Tulsa musicians Garth Brooks and Hanson were there. The arena's first public event was a community choir hosted by Sam Harris on August 31.

The first concert announced was on September 6, 2008, featuring the Eagles. Since then, the BOK Center has hosted many famous performers. These include Paul McCartney, Rush, Billy Joel, Elton John, U2, Justin Timberlake, Garth Brooks, Britney Spears, Janet Jackson, Lady Gaga, Guns N' Roses, Kenny Chesney, Alan Jackson, Wynonna Judd, Bruce Springsteen, Twenty One Pilots, AC/DC, Metallica, Nine Inch Nails, Celine Dion, Taylor Swift, One Direction, Brad Paisley, Dane Cook, Jonas Brothers, The Weeknd, Panic! At The Disco, and Dua Lipa. The Eagles even played a second show because their first one sold out so fast!

In late 2008, the BOK Center's general manager, John Bolton, won an award. He was recognized for booking many high-quality performances.

The BOK Center has also hosted professional sports games.

On September 22, 2018, and September 21, 2019, the Dallas Stars hockey team played exhibition games against the Florida Panthers.
On September 27, 2022, the Stars returned to play the Arizona Coyotes.
On October 13, 2008, the NBA's Oklahoma City Thunder played their first preseason game there. They played against the Houston Rockets. The Thunder has played other preseason games in Tulsa since then.

The BOK Center is home to the Tulsa Oilers ice hockey team. It was also home to the Tulsa Talons arena football team from 2009 to 2011. The Tulsa Shock women's basketball team played their home games at the BOK Center from 2010 to 2015 before moving to Dallas-Ft. Worth.

In March 2010, the Conference USA men's basketball tournament was held at the BOK Center. It also hosted games for the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship in March 2011. The Professional Bull Riders (PBR) started holding their events at the BOK Center in 2009.

On June 20, 2020, US President Donald Trump held a campaign rally at the BOK Center.

Special Moments at the BOK Center

Paul McCartney performed at the BOK Center on August 17, 2009. This concert celebrated the venue's first birthday. It was McCartney's first time playing in Oklahoma since 2002, and it was his only arena show on his 2009 Summer Tour. He also played at the venue on May 29 and 30, 2013, as part of his Out There! Tour.

Getting to the BOK Center

Streets near the BOK Center's back entrance are closed during events.

City officials believe there are 12,000 parking spaces within a 10-minute walk of the BOK Center. There's also a city-owned parking garage right across the street. For big events, Tulsa Transit offers free shuttle bus services. These shuttles run to and from the arena and downtown Tulsa.

The Tulsa Convention and Visitors Bureau has a program with 50 guides. These guides are stationed around the arena during major events. They help people find parking, give information about shuttle services, and share general details about events and downtown Tulsa.

The BOK Center is in the heart of downtown Tulsa. This means it's a short walk from many hotels, restaurants, and businesses. Here are some parking choices near the BOK Center:

Paid parking lots: Several paid lots are close by. They usually charge $10-$20 per event.
Metered parking: You can find metered spots on the streets near the arena. These typically cost $2 per hour.
Valet parking: Valet parking is available at the BOK Center for a fee of $25 per event.