Chesapeake to Build Finish Line Tower on River

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Devon will have its tower, and now so will Chesapeake, just not quite as tall.

Chesapeake co-founder and CEO Aubrey McLendon announced a $5.2 million gift to the City of Oklahoma City Thursday, to be used to construct a finish line tower on the Oklahoma River.

"Every important city that I've ever run across has a river that runs through it," McLendon said. "For a long time, we had a river that we were embarrassed of, and today I think we are beginning to have a river that we can be proud of."

The 4-story tower has been designed by Rand Elliott, who also designed the Chesapeake Boathouse, and will stand just east of the Lincoln Avenue Bridge.

Construction of the facility is expected to begin in the fall and take about a year to complete.

River officials say a finish line tower is something the venue needs in order to truly be considered world-class. McLendon says he recently visited Philadelphia's famed boathouse row, and says it will pale by comparison to Oklahoma City's, once the tower and several new boathouses are in place in the next few years.

"They supposedly have the most impressive boathouse row in America," McLendon said. "It's nothing compared to what we're going to have here."