Bolt Tower

Deep in the nucleus of historic Oklahoma City stands a new 76-foot-tall landmark aptly named “Bolt Tower.” Designed by structural artist and designer Jenny Sabin along with John Hilla, senior designer, and Clayton Binkley, engineer principal of Jenny Sabin Studio, and fabricated by Gus Tietsort of Tietsort LLC, this new landmark and tensegrity structure is designed to spark curiosity, celebrate community, and bring fresh energy to OKC Fair Park. It’s named after what horses do during events at the fairgrounds where it now resides. Its name also comes from lightning bolts, plentiful during Oklahoma storms, making people look up into the sky, just as they will with this immense structure.

Visually inspired by the playful mid-century sculptures once found at Fair Park, the tower connects past and present, honoring cherished memories while looking toward the future. Made with innovative materials and design techniques, the structure is both lightweight and striking in scale. By day, Bolt Tower catches the eye with its bold form and colorful presence. By night, it comes alive with glowing light and shifting colors, creating a welcoming beacon for visitors.

Once the project was approved, Randy Marks, the art director for OKC Arts & Cultural Affairs, along with general contractor Monty Jacobs of Jacobs General Contracting, reached out to long-time cohort Gus Tietsort to fabricate the tower. When Gus understood the specification ASTM A123 for hot-dip galvanizing of the tower’s structure, he made the overture to a local galvanizer to initiate a collaborative and fruitful partnership.

“Working closely with the galvanizer was critical. Their service level was accommodating and essential to our project from both a quality and preservation standpoint, as well as meeting our deadline. This piece is meant to be a permanent installation for families and residents to enjoy for generations, which is why hot-dip galvanizing was specified. It ensures longevity, protects the investment, and helps preserve the culture of the fairgrounds and the city of OKC,” Gus said.

The investment mentioned is in reference to the fact that the installation was funded by OKC “1% for the Arts” ordinance that requires one percent of the construction budget for all new or renovated city-owned buildings, parks, and trails to be set aside for public art.

When asked about his experience with galvanizing, Gus commented, “Oh, it was so easy. They made it painless for my first time to galvanize, especially at this scale. Having a partner to make the process seamless without having to wait for weather or certain conditions was helpful to tightening our timeline. I like the process of galvanizing and plan to do it more for future installations.”

From concept to fabrication to installation, every stage of this tower’s development is remarkable. With a 27-foot by 27-foot base made solely of radii and parabolas with zero corners, its construction is extremely unique. The upper mast tension assembly required extra special care to galvanize with the expected quality due to its complex and structurally critical design. Enveloped in a mesh of steel cable, these supports are tensioned at 8,500 lb. each. This required a 100-ton jack working 29 hours straight as they pulled together a cumulative 140,000 lbs. of cable tension to get the system secure. “Once you start, you can’t stop, because the tensegrity cable system is quite literally holding itself together,” said Gus.

The sculpture features unique 3D-printed stainless-steel material and integrates motion data captured from video taken during fair events, like horse shows. The motion data will then be translated into a colorful array of freely rotating polycarbonate panels, which are laminated with colorful film, becoming the exterior “skin” of the tower. The natural zinc patina also enhances the tower’s aesthetics. Its evolving matte finish softens the structure’s bold geometry and helps it blend seamlessly with both daylight and nighttime illumination.

With thousands of visitors coming to OKC Fair Park each month, this massive sculpture creates a new landmark. The fact that the artist team, the city, the fabricator, the galvanizer, and the general contractor all worked together to highlight the Fair Park’s history and preserve it properly with hot-dip galvanizing speaks to the community’s long-standing spirit of unity. It also pays respect to the show partners, patrons, and residents of Oklahoma City.