Renovations are starting at the future Arvest Tower as the bank prepares to consolidate its metro area operations at the former home of Bank of Oklahoma. 
Once completed this spring, the expanded downtown operation will be home to about 70 employees that will include some moving from existing operations in Del City and elsewhere in the metro area. Construction is set to be completed in the spring.
The bank will occupy two floors and about 40,000 square feet of leased space. In redesigning the space, architectural firm FSB proposed a contemporary solution that enhances Arvest’s prototype design to create an iconic look for its new headquarters.
”We trust this location signals our commitment not just to the downtown area, but all of Oklahoma City and the entire state,” said Bradley Krieger, chairman of Arvest Bank of Oklahoma City and regional executive vice president of Arvest Bank Group Inc. “It also represents the growth we have experienced and is an answer to our customers’ needs in downtown Oklahoma City. We couldn’t be more excited about this project.”
Arvest Bank currently has just a small 2,500-square-foot branch at 115 Park Place. The bank operates more than 260 branches in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Kansas.
The renamed 17-story Arvest Tower, 201 Robert S. Kerr, was built in 1972 as the headquarters for Fidelity Bank, which was taken over by Bank of Oklahoma during the 1980s oil bust.
Bank of Oklahoma moved in 2018 to the new BOK Park Plaza Tower at 499 W Sheridan.
The future Arvest Tower lobby features 27-foot ceilings. Plans call for a light and neutral color palette with accents of Arvest blue, a new ceiling system and a new lighting design to combine to create an open environment. A new teller counter was designed to be a focal point in the lobby.
The lobby also will include lounge seating, a coffee bar with café-style seating and glass-partition offices.
“Our designs for the plaza branch will provide an open and inviting architectural backdrop for new digital solutions while still providing the outstanding personal service that our customers have come to enjoy and expect,” said Kelly Sutterfield, architectural management director for Arvest. “Each person will be greeted by a Relationship Banker who will stand ready to meet a variety of banking needs. By creating new online and in-person services, we want to bank with our customers how and when they want to bank with us. The Arvest Tower plaza branch will be a great representation of that vision.”