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20-503: The Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building was a United States federal government complex located at 200 N.W. 5th Street in downtown Oklahoma City , Oklahoma. On April 19, 1995, the building was the target of the Oklahoma City bombing by Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols , which ultimately killed 167 people and injured 684 others. A third of the building collapsed seconds after the truck bomb detonated. The remains were demolished

40-557: A 12-year prison term for Michael and immunity for Lori. Michael was released into the witness protection program in January 2006. McVeigh said that he bombed the building on the second anniversary of the Waco siege in 1993 to retaliate for U.S. government actions there and at the siege at Ruby Ridge . However, it is also rumored that the bombing was connected to Covenant, the Sword, and

60-435: A Ryder rental truck, containing approximately 7,000 pounds (3,175 kg) of ammonium nitrate fertilizer, nitromethane , and diesel fuel was detonated in front of the building, destroying a third of it and causing severe damage to several other buildings located nearby. As a result, 168 people were killed, including 19 children, and over 800 others were injured. It remains the deadliest domestic terrorist attack , with

80-509: A customer, were recovered. For several days after the remains' demolition, trucks hauled 800 tons of debris a day away from the site. Some of it was used as evidence in the conspirators' trials, incorporated into parts of memorials, donated to local schools, or sold to raise funds for relief efforts. Several remnants of the building stand on the site of the Oklahoma City National Memorial . The plaza (on what

100-461: A day care center was in the building and that, had he known, "It might have given me pause to switch targets." The FBI said that he scouted the interior of the building in December 1994 and likely knew of the day care center before the bombing. Many works of art were in the building when it was destroyed in the Oklahoma City bombing . The Oklahoma City National Memorial displays art that survived

120-435: A month after the attack, and the Oklahoma City National Memorial was built on the site. The building was designed by architects Stephen H. Horton and Wendell Locke of Locke, Wright and Associates and constructed by J.W. Bateson Company, Dallas, Texas, using reinforced concrete in 1977 at a cost of $ 14.5 million. The building, named for federal judge Alfred P. Murrah , an Oklahoma native, opened on March 2, 1977. By

140-610: A water feature that acts as an additional security barrier. Alfred P. Murrah Born on October 27, 1904, in Tishomingo , Indian Territory (now Oklahoma ), Murrah received a Bachelor of Laws in 1928 from the University of Oklahoma College of Law . He entered private practice in Oklahoma City , Oklahoma from 1928 to 1929, then continued his practice in Seminole , Oklahoma and Oklahoma City from 1929 to 1937. Murrah

160-543: The General Services Administration broke ground on a replacement building in 2001 which was completed in 2003. The new 185,000-square-foot building was designed by Ross Barney Architects of Chicago, Illinois, with Carol Ross Barney as the lead designer. Constructed on a two-city-block site, one block north and west of the former site, the new building's design maximized sustainable design and workplace productivity initiatives. Security design

180-772: The 1990s, the building contained regional offices for the Social Security Administration , the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the United States Secret Service , the Department of Veterans Affairs vocational rehabilitation counseling center, the Drug Enforcement Administration (D.E.A.), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF). It also contained recruiting offices for

200-803: The Arm of the Lord (CSA) white supremacist Richard Snell , who was executed in Arkansas the day of the bombing and who also "predicted" that a bombing would happen on the day of his execution. Fort Smith-based federal prosecutor Steven Snyder told the FBI in May 1995 that Snell previously expressed a desire to target the Murrah building in 1983 as revenge for the IRS raiding his home. Before his execution, McVeigh said that he did not know

220-597: The CSA was building a rocket launcher to attack the building, the ordnance accidentally detonated in a member's hands. The CSA took this as divine intervention and called off the planned attack. Convicted of murder in Arkansas in an unrelated case, Snell was executed on April 19, 1995, the same day the bombing of the federal building was carried out, after U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas declined to hear further appeal. At 9:02 a.m. local time on April 19, 1995,

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240-654: The Chair of the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation from 1968 to 1975. He assumed senior status on May 1, 1970. He was the last appeals court judge who continued to serve in active service appointed by President Roosevelt. He served as Director of the Federal Judicial Center from 1970 to 1974. His service terminated on October 30, 1975, due to his death in Oklahoma City. Murrah was

260-755: The Tenth Circuit. Murrah was nominated by President Roosevelt on August 5, 1940, to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit vacated by Judge Robert E. Lewis . He was confirmed by the Senate on August 29, 1940, and received his commission on September 4, 1940. He served as Chief Judge and as a member of the Judicial Conference of the United States from August 7, 1959 to May 1, 1970. He served as

280-536: The U.S. military. It housed approximately 550 employees. It also housed America's Kids, a children's day care center. In October 1983, members of the Christian militia group The Covenant, The Sword, and the Arm of the Lord (CSA), including founder James Ellison and Richard Snell plotted to park "a van or trailer in front of the Federal Building and blow it up with rockets detonated by a timer." While

300-445: The bodies of all but three victims recovered. For safety reasons, the remains were to be demolished shortly afterward. However, McVeigh's attorney, Stephen Jones , called for a motion to delay the demolition until the defense team could examine the site in preparation for the trial. More than a month after the bombing, at 7:01 am on May 23, the remains were demolished. The final three bodies, those of two credit union employees and

320-468: The bombing. Nineteen pieces of art recovered from the Murrah Building are on permanent display on the first floor of the University of Central Oklahoma 's Max Chambers Library. These pieces include: Lost works are as follows: An untitled acrylic sculpture by Fred Eversley was severely damaged, but survived the blast. Rescue and recovery efforts were concluded at 11:50 pm on May 1, with

340-420: The most property damage, in the U.S. Timothy McVeigh , a U.S. Army veteran, was found guilty of the attack in a jury trial and sentenced to death. He was executed in 2001. A co-conspirator, Terry Nichols , is serving multiple life sentences in a federal prison. Third and fourth subjects Michael Fortier and his wife, Lori, assisted in the plot. They testified against both McVeigh and Nichols in exchange for

360-885: Was nominated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on February 8, 1937, to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma , the United States District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma and the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma , to a new joint seat authorized by 49 Stat. 1804. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on February 25, 1937, and received his commission on March 3, 1937. His service terminated on September 9, 1940, due to his elevation to

380-439: Was once its south side) has been incorporated into the memorial; the original flagpole is still in use. The east wall (within the building's footprint) is intact, as well as portions of the south wall. The underground parking garage survived the blast and is used today, but is guarded and closed to the public. Consideration was given to not replacing the Murrah Building and to renting office space for agencies affected. Ultimately,

400-506: Was paramount to the Federal employees and its neighbors. Secure design was achieved based on the GSA's current standards for secure facilities including blast resistant glazing. Structural design resists progressive collapse . Building mass, glazing inside the courtyard, and bollards help to maintain a sense of openness and security. The art in architecture component of the building incorporates

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