The Jim Thorpe Office Building, a fixture of the Oklahoma State Capitol Complex since 1938, formally reopened Wednesday after a three-year renovation that cost $70 million, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony that drew descendants of the building's namesake. The Oklahoma Corporation Commission, Oklahoma Election Board, Oklahoma Arts Council and Oklahoma Water Resources Board are all slated to lease space in the building from the Office of Management and Enterprise Services, with move-ins expected this winter.
As reported by Oklahoma Voice, the building sits southeast of the Capitol at 2101 N. Lincoln Blvd. and was renovated using funds appropriated in 2023. Mark Wood, director of the Office of Management and Enterprise Services, said the project aimed to preserve the building's distinctive features while creating an accessible, functional government workplace, adding that Jim Thorpe's legacy is remarkable and that the building should honor his example. The building was initially proposed as a capitol office building but, after a naming change, was called the State Office Building; it was designed by Tulsa architect John D. Forsyth and built by Bellows Construction Co. for $529,000, according to Abandoned Oklahoma. Plans assigned space to the Public Welfare Department and Tax Commission, according to the same source.
A Legislative Bond and a Rising Price Tag
Lawmakers approved the initial $70 million funding authorization for the overhaul in May 2022 under House Bill 3571, which authorized the Oklahoma Capitol Improvement Authority to hold title to the facility while bonds are retired, according to the Southwest Ledger. The Jim Thorpe Repair Expenditure Oversight Committee, created through HB 1033X, supervised project spending. Estimated renovation costs climbed from $48.5 million in 2015 due to market inflation. The Thorpe project is a renovation of the Jim Thorpe building.
Engineering a 1938 Courtroom for Modern Use
The eight-story building, with more than 161,000 square feet, was renovated for modern office use.
QUAD Construction and Gardner Studio were involved in the renovation.
The building also received new building systems, window upgrades, accessibility improvements and a café.
Agencies Prepare for a Winter Move-In
The Corporation Commission, the building's largest primary tenant and the body regulating state utilities, oil and gas, relocated staff to the Will Rogers Building, the Southwest Ledger reported. Agency officials said pre-existing shifts to paperless filing and digital communications helped minimize operational disruption during the move.
Bonnie Campo, director of outreach for the Office of Management and Enterprise Services, said per Oklahoma Voice that finishing work, including furnishing offices, still needs to happen before tenants move in, with agencies expected to occupy the building this winter. Paul Ziriax, secretary of the Election Board, said that agency will maintain its public-facing offices at the Capitol while using space in the Thorpe building for some administrative functions. The redesigned building will move courtrooms to the first floor, according to the Office of Management and Enterprise Services.
Honoring an Olympic Legacy
State Sen. Chuck Hall of Perry, the Legislature's budget chair, said government should balance infrastructure investment with responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars while preserving historically significant places, according to Oklahoma Voice. He added that the building's tenants will serve Oklahomans every day and that the investment was worthwhile, telling attendees simply that the building is returning to work. The Oklahoma Arts Council has also commissioned new artwork for the space through the state's public art program, per a news release cited by the outlet.
The building's namesake, Jim Thorpe, was a Native American athlete of Sac and Fox and Potawatomi descent who competed in the Olympics and played professional football before his death in 1953. Thorpe's descendants attended Wednesday's ribbon-cutting ceremony.
