Last Updated on September 25, 2022, 7:44 PM | Published: September 24, 2022
OKLAHOMA CITY (Free Press) — A crane toppled and crashed into the corner of the future home of Oklahoma City TV station News 9 Saturday afternoon while removing a large, curved digital billboard from the southwest corner of the building.
The end of the crane came to rest on the top of the building while the billboard came to rest part way down the corner just over Mahogany restaurant’s door.
Currently, the intersection of Sheridan and Robinson and one block in every direction have been closed because of the mishap.
Free Press learned from police on the scene that engineers would not try to remove the partially fallen billboard and the crashed crane until Sunday morning daylight to ensure safety. Three cranes larger than the one that toppled were already on the scene around dusk Saturday.
That means traffic through that intersection will have to be diverted including both the blue and red streetcar lines.
Developing media hub
The Oklahoman newspaper, nonprofit newsroom Oklahoma Watch, and Mahogany Restaurant are tenants that are already in the building.
News 9 continues to fit out the majority of both floors of the building that will become the new home of the station with all of their studios and operations except for their helicopter.
Free Press covered the sale of the building to News 9 back in July 2021.
The building had been heavily renovated in 2014 to accommodate The Oklahoman newspaper including the installation of the prominent billboard on the corner that ran announcements and video news stories for passersby.
The Oklahoman was drastically downsized by two successive corporate owners over the years since and no longer needed that much space. They gave up their lease and the owners sold the building to the parent company of News 9 in 2021.
Unofficial estimates are that News 9 will be broadcasting from the building in winter of 2023.
Founder, publisher, and editor of Oklahoma City Free Press. Brett continues to contribute reports and photography to this site as he runs the business.
