Legends Tower in Oklahoma City is the proposed second-phase centerpiece of The Boardwalk at Bricktown, a $2.5 billion project by California developer Scot Matteson. At just under 2,000 feet, it would be the tallest building in the U.S.\u2014but as of the August 2025 News9 report it is proposed and conditional, pending FAA sign-off. Phase One (hotels, apartments, a lagoon) is the confirmed part.
If you searched \u201clegends tower Oklahoma City,\u201d you probably saw a national headline about America's tallest building rising in Bricktown and wondered whether it's actually happening yet. Here's the honest split: the tower itself is still proposed and conditional, while the first phase of hotels, apartments, and a central lagoon is the part that's approved and slated to start. Nothing 2,000 feet tall is under construction today.
This matters whether you're planning a Bricktown visit to watch the transformation or relocating to OKC to work a multi-year build. We run 11 furnished homes across the metro, so let's separate confirmed from conditional\u2014and then talk about where you actually stay.
As of the August 2025 News9 report, Phase One construction was expected to begin \u201clater this year.\u201d Booking windows for Bricktown-area stays tighten fastest around Thunder home games and spring events\u2014dates fill before the headlines do.
What the Boardwalk at Bricktown Actually Is
The Boardwalk at Bricktown is a two-phase, roughly 5-million-square-foot development carrying a projected $2.5 billion budget. Developer Scot Matteson told News9 in August 2025 that the project is fully funded and has received city approval. That's the framework everything else hangs on.
The design splits into two distinct chunks. Phase One is the near-term, buildable part. Phase Two contains Legends Tower\u2014the piece generating national attention and the piece that still has to clear a major hurdle before it can rise to its planned height.
Phase One: the confirmed part
Phase One is built around three towers. Two are residential apartment buildings, and the third is a Dream Hotel by Hyatt with branded residential units on its upper floors. Visit OKC lists the hotel component as the Dream Hotel (220 rooms) plus the Unscripted Hotel (174 rooms), designed by CUBE3 Architects.
Around those towers, the plan calls for 200,000 square feet of commercial, restaurant, and entertainment space, plus a central lagoon ringed by a scenic boardwalk\u2014the feature the project is named for. This is the phase expected to break ground first.
Phase Two: Legends Tower, the conditional part
Legends Tower is planned at just under 2,000 feet, which would make it the tallest building in the United States. But the FAA and airport officials have raised concerns about the tower's height and its position relative to flight paths near Will Rogers World Airport.
Matteson says he's \u201cworking closely with the FAA\u201d and that even if the agency doesn't agree to the full height, \u201cit will still be a tall tower\u2014just a little shorter.\u201d That's the honest status: a tall building is planned, but its record-breaking height is not settled. Treat any \u201ctallest in America\u201d claim as proposed until the FAA question closes.
Timeline: What's Happened and What's Next
The clearest way to read this project is by stage, because \u201capproved\u201d and \u201cbuilt\u201d are very different milestones.
| Stage | What it covers | Status (per Aug 2025 News9) |
|---|---|---|
| Funding & city approval | $2.5B budget; developer says fully funded, city approval received | Reported complete |
| Phase One design | Two apartment towers, Dream Hotel + Unscripted Hotel, 200,000 sq ft commercial, lagoon & boardwalk | Designed |
| Phase One construction | Groundbreaking on the first towers and lagoon | Expected to begin \u201clater this year\u201d |
| FAA height review | Concerns over Legends Tower height vs. flight paths | Ongoing; developer \u201cworking closely with the FAA\u201d |
| Legends Tower (Phase Two) | Just under 2,000 ft; would be tallest U.S. building | Proposed / conditional |
| Additional Bricktown project | Developer says another major project is designed | To be presented to the city |
Confirmed vs. Conditional: Don't Mix Them Up
Most of the confusion online comes from treating the whole project as one thing. It isn't. One part is approved and ready to start; the other part depends on a federal aviation decision.
| Element | Confirmed (approved / designed) | Conditional (pending) |
|---|---|---|
| Funding | Developer says $2.5B fully funded | \u2014 |
| City approval | Reported received | \u2014 |
| Hotels & apartments | Dream Hotel, Unscripted Hotel, two residential towers | \u2014 |
| Lagoon & boardwalk | Part of Phase One design | \u2014 |
| Legends Tower height | A \u201ctall tower\u201d is planned | Just-under-2,000 ft height pending FAA |
| \u201cTallest in America\u201d | \u2014 | Not settled; depends on final approved height |
Read a headline that says construction on America's tallest tower has begun? That's getting ahead of the facts. What's slated to start is Phase One\u2014the hotels, apartments, and lagoon\u2014not a 2,000-foot skyscraper.
What This Means If You're Visiting or Relocating to Bricktown
Whether the tower ends up 2,000 feet or \u201ca little shorter,\u201d Bricktown is being reshaped\u2014and that draws two kinds of travelers: people who want to see it, and people coming to build it. Both need somewhere to stay that isn't a downtown hotel by the night.
A furnished home changes the math on longer stays. Our homes sit minutes from Bricktown, near the Paseo and Plaza districts, Lake Hefner, and just six minutes from Will Rogers World Airport\u2014close to the action without paying nightly downtown rates. We hold a 4.8-star average across 1,247 verified guest reviews on Airbnb, and two of our homes carry Airbnb's \u201cGuest Favorite\u201d badge.
Coming to OKC for a multi-year Bricktown build\u2014or a long weekend to watch it rise? Furnished homes near downtown, monthly rates on 30+ night stays.
See extended-stay options or call/text (405) 295-5052.
If you're relocating for construction or a multi-year assignment
Big projects run for years, and hotel-by-the-night pricing quietly wrecks a relocation budget. A furnished home with a full kitchen, laundry, and space to actually live is built for the 30-plus-night stay, and we offer monthly rates at that length. Homes across our portfolio sleep 2 to 16+, so a solo project engineer and a rotating crew both fit.
If you're visiting to see the transformation
Bricktown's canal, ballpark, and entertainment district are already worth the trip\u2014the megaproject just adds a reason. For a 4-plus-night stay, our direct-booking savings run up to 35% versus nightly hotel rooms, and you get a kitchen and living space instead of a single room.
What a Longer OKC Stay Actually Costs (Hypothetical)
Say a project engineer relocates to OKC for an eight-month Bricktown-area assignment and compares an extended-stay hotel to one of our furnished homes. This example is hypothetical\u2014your real numbers depend on dates and home.
An extended-stay hotel room at roughly $130/night runs about $3,900 a month, or near $31,200 over eight months\u2014one room, a mini-fridge, and no real kitchen. A furnished home booked at a monthly rate (our from-rates start at $165/night, with monthly pricing on 30+ night stays and up to 35% off on 4+ nights) can land in the ballpark of a comparable or lower monthly figure while adding a full kitchen, laundry, and a separate living area. Over eight months, cooking a few meals a week instead of eating out is real money back, too. Call for a firm monthly quote on your dates\u2014this is illustrative, not a promise.
When a Hotel Is Genuinely the Right Call
You don't need a furnished home for everything. For a one- or two-night Bricktown trip, a single traveler chasing hotel points, or a stay under a few nights where a kitchen doesn't matter, a downtown hotel is simpler\u2014and once the Dream and Unscripted hotels open, there will be more rooms downtown.
A furnished home changes the outcome when the stay runs longer or the party is bigger: 30-plus-night relocations, crews and families who need multiple bedrooms, travelers with a dog, and anyone who wants a kitchen and laundry instead of a room. That's the line. If your stay is short and simple, book the hotel; if it's long or full, call us.
How to Plan a Bricktown-Area Stay, Step by Step
- Confirm your dates and length. Under a week or over a month changes which option and rate fit.
- Count your party. Solo, a crew, or a family\u2014our homes sleep 2 to 16+, so headcount narrows the list fast.
- Check proximity to what matters. Bricktown, the airport, a hospital, or a jobsite\u2014pick the home closest to your daily drive.
- Compare total cost, not nightly rate. Add up monthly pricing and the value of a kitchen and laundry against a hotel's per-night figure.
- Book direct and lock the dates. Call or text (405) 295-5052 for a monthly quote and to secure availability before events fill the calendar.
Planning around downtown rules, too? Our guides to OKC short-term rental rules and the Route 66 centennial in OKC are worth a read for anyone timing a longer visit.
Terms You'll Hear, Decoded
- Phase One vs. Phase Two: Phase One is the near-term hotels, apartments, and lagoon; Phase Two is Legends Tower, the conditional piece.
- FAA height review: The federal aviation check on how tall a building can be near flight paths\u2014the reason the tower's record height isn't final.
- Branded residential: Condo/residential units attached to a hotel brand (here, upper floors of the Dream Hotel by Hyatt).
- Extended stay: A furnished stay of 30+ nights billed at a monthly rate rather than nightly.