Dominating much of its block in Downtown Oklahoma City, the First National Center represents an architectural triple threat: three separate structures constructed over a 40-year span. Following the demolition of several existing structures, work on the original building was underway in early 1931, taking only nine months, enabling the bank to move in just before Christmas. With its two-story Corinthian columns and patterned travertine marble floor, the second-floor main banking hall remains one of the most impressive spaces downtown. Its Art Deco style is characterized by smooth wall surfaces, decorative geometric designs and a strong emphasis on the vertical. Sheathed in polished black granite and limestone, the building’s exterior mass decreases as it rises upward, creating a stepped-back skyscraper silhouette for all 32 floors. Images of birds, foliage, and nudes decorate the building, inside and out. In sharp contrast to the original, the 14-story center building of 1957 was cast in the international style, popular post-WWII. The building’s first floor is clad in black granite, with large aluminum and glass display windows. Emphasizing the verticality of the façade, the exterior changes to an aluminum and glass curtain wall from the second floor up. In 1972, a second 14-story structure was added, this one L-shaped. The side facing Broadway of this east building exhibits a different treatment, with the first two floors recessed to form a shallow colonnade, sporting freestanding columns clad in white travertine marble.

Project 180 streetscape renovations installed a series of destination markers throughout downtown Oklahoma City. The destination markers depict an aerial map with a small silver pin that denotes “you are here.” The outer ring of each destination marker highlights a local historic or pop culture event specific to the city. Historical significance: The two skyscrapers to the East of this spot that are aluminum-clad are the First National Building and the City Place Tower, originally the Ramsey Tower. In 1930 and 1931, construction teams for each building raced to see who could finish their tower first. The Ramsey Crew won the race by a few days, but First National came in 6 feet higher, giving it the title of “Tallest Building In the City” even though both have 33 floors. This marker reads: Constructed in 1920 on the site of both the city’s first open-air theater and Lyric Theater, the Perrine /Cravens/Robinson Renaissance Building was once home of the popular Anna Maude’s Cafeteria.