The power is back on at the Price Tower in Bartlesville, after new owners took over the Bartlesville landmark. The Price Tower’s new ownership comes after the previous owner’s company declared bankruptcy and closed the tower. News On 6 took an “In Focus” look at what led to the closure and what's ahead for the iconic building.

Wednesday, May 14th 2025, 6:56 pm

By: Amy Slanchik

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The power is back on at the Price Tower in Bartlesville after new owners took over the Bartlesville landmark.

The Price Tower’s new ownership comes after the previous owner’s company declared bankruptcy and closed the tower.

News On 6 took an “In Focus” look at what led to the closure and what's ahead for the iconic building.

The new owners plan to restore the building and reopen it as a hotel and apartments, with the old rooftop bar restored, too.

And that has people in Bartlesville talking.

"I'm pleased as punch that the Price Tower has a new owner,” Bartlesville Resident Diana Williams said.

Williams said her mother worked as a receptionist for an eye doctor’s office in the tower when Williams was a child. She also has memories from attending events in the Price Tower.

"I'm just so happy to see the commotion that's going on over here, because I know it'll be good," she said.

It took nearly one year for McFarlin Building, LLC, under the company Brickhugger, to get ownership of the building.

The building's former owners, Copper Tree Inc. and Green Copper Holdings, signed a contract in May 2024 to sell Price Tower to Brickhugger for $1.4 million.

But in August, Copper Tree and Green Copper announced plans to sell the building at auction. So Brickhugger filed a lawsuit in September to force the sale to go through.

A judge ordered Copper Tree and Green Copper to honor the sale contract with McFarlin in January of this year.

Then Copper Tree and Green Copper declared bankruptcy the next day, which put that sale on hold, before putting the building up for auction again in April.

And this month, the building was officially sold to Brickhugger.

Brickhugger LLC said it is investing $10 million and using historic tax credits to restore the building with the goal of reopening it in two years.

Nearly 70 years after Frank Lloyd Wright's only skyscraper first opened, the 19-story building begins a new chapter.

"If you look at the building from afar, it kind of looks, does look like a tree. And you know Frank Lloyd Wright, some people might not know this, but he called it, 'The tree that escaped the crowded forest,'" Brickhugger President Macy Snyder-Amatucci said.

Snyder-Amatucci said plans include restoring about 20 hotel rooms, 20 apartments, and the rooftop bar.

She showed News On 6 some of the rooms that might be used for guests to learn more about the famous architect and the history of the building.

"Our ultimate goal is to turn this back into a museum, but a museum where things are beautifully displayed,” Snyder-Amatucci said.

Snyder-Amatucci said what will be more challenging than restoring the building is the operational side of things, like hiring a team that gives guests an "exceptional experience."

"Really, there's just not much we're going to change or be able to change, or that we would even want to change,” she said.

But something did have to be done right away.

The day the Snyder family got the keys to the building, there were two feet of standing water in the basement. Nine days later, the water is gone, and the lights are back on.

The power has been off since last fall, leaving the building exposed to all kinds of weather.

"During that time, it froze, the power wasn't on, and then it started raining, and none of the pumps were on because they're all electric, and there wasn't any power. So there wasn't any water being pumped out,” Snyder-Amatucci said.

She said -- it's nothing her family hasn't seen before.

The family has restored several historic buildings, including The Mayo Hotel in Tulsa. This is what the building looked like in 2008.

Image Provided By: Amatucci Photography

This is what it looks like today, after the Snyder family's work.

Image Provided By: Rachelle Lynn Kappler

"The Mayo -- we did that project in less than two years, which was unheard of. I mean, that's almost 300,000 square feet. And it was actually in way worse condition than this building. And same with our hotel in Pawhuska. I mean that was in worse condition as well,” Snyder-Amatucci said.

While she expects more challenges in the months ahead, she and her family are determined to make the community proud.

"We just believe in getting things done,” she said. “There's no reason to not get it done."

Brickhugger said it is working with the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy to try to get some artifacts that were sold back to the tower.

The developer also said it will have its plans and drawings done within the next 30 days.

The CEO of the company that owned the tower before told News On 6 last August that funding the building was "extremely difficult" and she felt she had to sell artifacts in order to pay employees.

Cynthia Blanchard said she intended to make improvements to the building, but admitted then that she did not have the money to make it happen. 

"You need financing to start the projects, and we never quite were able to get there,” she said.

Since the new owners took over, Blanchard released the following statement:

“We are grateful that the federal bankruptcy court protection provided an opportunity for resolution through a structured process. The Federal Bankruptcy Trustee was instrumental to the finality of a complex and highly charged situation. Copper tree Inc./Green Copper Holdings LLC Group fought to preserve and protect Price Tower under extraordinarily challenging conditions and we sincerely hope its future will be one of integrity and stewardship.”

The Frank Lloyd Wright Conservancy fought against Copper Tree and Green Copper Holdings, arguing in legal documents that the companies did not have the right to sell artifacts because of a conservation easement in place.

The conservancy visited the tower in March this year, and says on its website it looks forward to this "next chapter for the Price Tower, and to building a strong preservation partnership with its new owners."

1956 - Opened as headquarters for H.C. Price Company

1981- Purchased by Phillips Petroleum

2001- Donated by Phillips Petroleum to Price Tower Arts Center

Feb 28, 2023 - Tower Arts Center voted to sell to Copper Tree Holdings

March 3, 2023: The historic Price Tower in downtown Bartlesville came under new ownership.

May 2023 - Bartlesville Art Association moves out after being made to pay rent for first time

July 2024 - Artifacts from tower sold to art gallery in Dallas

Aug 9, 2024 - Cynthia Blanchard (Copper Tree Holdings) says Tower will temporarily close because of financial loss

August 10, 2024: The Inn at Price Tower closed without notice to some guests who had previous reservations

August 20, 2024: The family that owns The Mayo Hotel confirmed their interest in Price Tower.

August 20, 2024: Commercial Oklahoma announced that Price Tower would go up for auction.

October 22, 2024: The Price Tower owner filed a lawsuit against the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy.

October 23, 2024: The Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy stood by its legal control over Price Tower amid the lawsuit

January 21, 2025: Price Tower in Bartlesville was set to be sold for the original $1.4 million.

January 22, 2025: The owners of Price Tower in Bartlesville declared bankruptcy.

April 1, 2025: Bartlesville’s Price Tower was set for auction in May 2025 following the bankruptcy.

May 5, 2025: Frank Lloyd Wright's Price Tower was sold to the McFarlin Building (under the company “Brickhugger” after bankruptcy proceedings.