History
The complex was built in 1973 by C.W. Cameron, founder of American Fidelity. For the next twenty years it was a landmark due to four neon pigs, one on each face, belonging to Sooner Federal Savings and Loan. The tower of 50 Penn Place was once headquarters to Penn Square Bank, which failed in 1982. It was also formerly home to the flagship store of the Orbach's chain of local clothing stores (which closed in 1990). Although not currently anchored by a major retailer, 50 Penn Place has upscale shops and restaurants, a brewpub, independent bookstore, the 50 Penn Place Art Gallery, and various office tenants including LexisNexis. In recent years, the retail portion of the complex has lost the majority of its tenants to other shopping venues, such as nearby Penn Square Mall, and is no longer seen by locals as a shopping destination. However, several upscale tenants still remain, and former retail space is being leased to other tenants, such as ITT Technical Institute.
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—Eric Hoffer (1902–1983)
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—Aristide Briand (1862–1932)
“One classic American landscape haunts all of American literature. It is a picture of Eden, perceived at the instant of history when corruption has just begun to set in. The serpent has shown his scaly head in the undergrowth. The apple gleams on the tree. The old drama of the Fall is ready to start all over again.”
—Jonathan Raban (b. 1942)