Historic downtown OKC bank to be converted into apartments and retail

A century of banking at the corner of Broadway and Main downtown is over with developer Dick Tanenbaum planning to convert the former BancFirst headquarters into apartments.

The 10-story building at 101 N Broadway was originally built in 1921 as the home of Tradesman’s National Bank. The building later was home to City National Bank, Frontier Federal and then BancFirst from 1989 until its move across the street to the renovated BancFirst Tower.

Cindy Murillo, chief operating officer of Gardner Tanenbaum Holdings, said the $6 million purchase on May 13 is one of several significant deals the company is working on in response to a growing demand for multi-family housing. 

“We’re approaching a wait list of 20 at any given time for any of our properties,” Murillo “That is testament to this city’s growth.”

Dick Tanenbaum, CEO of Gardner Tanenbaum, has almost 20 years of experience converting older office buildings into office with projects that include The Montgomery and Park Harvey downtown, The Presley (formerly Lincoln Plaza) and the Classen (formerly Citizen’s Tower).

The age of the properties spans the 1920s, 1950s, 1960s and 1970s — all distinctly different eras of historical architecture.

“He’s done it all,” Murillo said. “This makes sense for another location for multi-family. Our city is continuing to grow, and it is now 20th in the nation among large cities. That growth adds more merit for increasing multi-family footprint in Oklahoma City.”

Murillo said they do not have a new name for the building. Designs will be done by FSB, which worked on the conversion of Lincoln Plaza into The Presley.

The building is 107,000 square feet, including a lobby that retains the original features of Tradesman’s National Bank. The Sullivanesque office building facade features a projecting eave, exposed ornamental beams and floral motifs.

“It’s a very beautiful building,” Murillo said. “It’s historic; the lobby is magnificent.”

The address itself places the building within walking distance of Paycom Center, Scissortail Park, the Myriad Botanical Gardens, Bricktown, Automobile Alley and array of shops and restaurants. The building also is connected to The Underground pedestrian tunnels. Murillo said plans include adding retail to the The Underground level.

“We see the city coming back, and we see downtown thriving again with retail and activity,” Murillo said. “We are seeing our downtown population growing, and we are super excited about that.”