The built environment

A brief guide to Tulsa architecture

During the early 20th century, the oil flowed freely in Tulsa, and the money followed. Talent in all forms flocked here, and businesses—and buildings to house them—sprang up across the city. 

“Architecture follows development, development follows money and money follows industry,” designer Shane Hood, president of the Tulsa Foundation for Architecture, told me. “That’s going to dictate when we have development booms.”

Though Tulsa officially incorporated in 1898, it was the oil strikes at Red Fork in 1901 and in Glenn Pool in 1905 that served as the catalysts for real development. By the 1920s, we were booming. The resulting prosperity put Tulsa on the map as the “Oil Capital of the World,” a title that continued into the midcentury.

Tulsa is certainly a melting pot of eclectic architecture, but the Art Deco period was perhaps the only time when Tulsa had a concrete sense of its own architectural identity. As a city, we were not following design trends in the U.S., we were steering the French-inspired style during an era of artistic revolution.

Unlike the styles that immediately preceded and followed it, Art Deco had no philosophical basis. It was purely decorative. Perhaps it was the unapologetic indulgence that lent itself to such optimism. But it was also that glamour that contributed to Art Deco falling out of style during World War II, when the world took a turn for the worse, economically and politically. The period’s glitzy and ornate styles of Art Deco and European Revival were suddenly out of fashion; a more streamlined, pared-down aesthetic was in. And so went Tulsa.

“We had the largest per capita population of scientists and engineers in Tulsa during the midcentury,” Hood said. “Oklahoma became a hub for the aerospace industry. … Tulsa had a more progressive population during that time because people were moving in from the coasts. There was a lot of fortune seeking and keeping up with the Joneses—people weren’t going to move out to the prairie and not have their cultural comforts.”

That forward-thinking influence is still evident in the “contemporary” style neighborhoods established at that time such as Bolewood, Ranch Acres, Sunset Terrace, Park Plaza and Lortondale.

For every notable structure in Tulsa, there are even more architects, designers and artists who have put their stamp on our cityscape. In doing so, they’ve imprinted pieces of themselves and shaped how we live. The buildings those visionaries have created continue to tell the story of who we have been, who we are and who we hope to become. Regardless of the era that created them, our buildings have much to say about the legacy of our community. Our buildings and our homes are the structures our heritage built.

Designing Tulsa: Oil Capital Architecture 

This month at Tulsa Historical Society and Museum,  the stories of Tulsa’s architectural heritage will unfold through artifacts representing select Tulsa structures and architects.

Featured architects include: Robert Buchner, Charles Dilbeck, John Duncan Forsyth, Bruce Goff, Donald Honn, Blaine Imel, Joseph Koberling, Donald McCormick, Lee Murray, Robert L. Jones, David Murray, Leon Senter

Runs through August 2016 // Tulsa Historical Society & Museum // 2445 S. Peoria Ave. // tulsahistory.org // $5 for adults, $3 for seniors. Kids, students and museum members are always free. 

The churches of downtown // Gothic Revival

Holy Family Cathedral:1914 
122 W. 8th St.

First Christian Church: 1920
913 S. Boulder Ave.

First Baptist: 1927
403 S. Cincinnati Ave.

Trinity Episcopal: 1926
501 S. Cincinnati Ave.

First United Methodist: 1928
1115 S. Boulder Ave. 

Most early 20th century churches are Gothic Revival, an imposing aesthetic intended to stir emotions and induce awe. Verticality and light are deliberately emphasized through features including pointed arches, vaulted ceilings, a nave considerably taller than it is wide, vertical buttresses, vertical mouldings, elaborate wood carvings, vast structural dimensions and expansive ecclesiastic stained glass windows.

The Mayo Hotel // Chicago School/Sullivan-esque
1925, George Winkler
115 W. 5th St.

The Mayo is one of downtown Tulsa’s earliest high-rises. The historic building combines the advancing technology of its time with the classical overtones of the two-story Doric columns and stylized ornamentation that were popular during the period and perfected by Chicago architect Louis Sullivan. Abandoned for 20 years, the Mayo was at risk of being demolished (like so many notable Tulsa buildings) until the Snyder family bought and renovated it as a hotel and residences. Once again a gem in our crown, The Mayo of today pairs its original styling with a Beaux Arts-designed ballroom and a current mix of contemporary open-plan rooms and apartments.

Philbrook Museum // Italian Revival
1926, Edward Buehler Delk 
2727 S. Rockford Rd.

One of Tulsa’s most significant and sizable residential properties, Philbrook Museum was once the residence of oil pioneer Waite Phillips and his family. The original 72-room Italian Renaissance villa was built on 23 acres. With elaborately carved mouldings and painted ceilings, the interiors are nothing short of opulent. Italian-style characteristics including formal symmetry, ornate columns, towering arches and abundant niches and plinths are present throughout. The residence and manicured grounds make a dynamic, inviting background for Philbrook’s art collection and community events. 

Boston Avenue United Methodist Church // Art Deco with Gothic Revival elements
1929, Adah Robinson and Bruce Goff
1301 S. Boston Ave.

Boston Avenue United Methodist is considered to be one of the country’s best examples of ecclesiastical Art Deco architecture. There’s some debate as to whether the church was designed by accomplished architect Bruce Goff or his Central High School art teacher, Adah Robinson. It’s rumored that Robinson drew the original concept and renderings, and Goff took them and fleshed them out into workable construction documents. The church’s massive tower and dramatic verticality give a nod to Gothic Revival. The structure features common Art Deco building materials including metal, glass, Indiana limestone, Minnesota granite and terra cotta. 

Westhope // Textile Block
1929, Frank Lloyd Wright 
3699 S. Birmingham Ave.

Tulsa’s only Frank Lloyd Wright-designed home was built for Wright’s cousin, Richard Lloyd Jones, the original publisher of the Tulsa Tribune. Westhope is Wright’s only textile block-style home outside of California. The 8,400-square-foot space features alternating columns of glass and concrete walls. Westhope is one of the largest homes Wright created, though it’s considered to be more simplistic in structure and less ornate that many of his other residential designs. When Jones complained that the leaky flat roof was causing rain to fall on his desk, Wright is said to have offered a simple solution: “Richard, move the desk.”

Tulsa Fire Alarm Building // Art Deco
1931, Frederick V. Kershner
1010 E. 8th St.

The Tulsa Fire Alarm Building features the pared-down aesthetic of the depression-era buildings so typical of the early 1930s, though it was created a few years before many of Roosevelt's “New Deal” Public Works Administration buildings. The beautifully designed structure integrates clever conceptual motifs into the terra cotta frieze program that was typical of Art Deco. The front of the building features a double-headed dragon that pays homage to its original function as the fire department alarm headquarters. The main room of the building was designed in a unique hexagon shape with towering windows along the back. At just 6,090 square feet, what it lacks in space it makes up for in design.

Lortondale Neighborhood // Midcentury Modern
1954, Donald H. Honn with Howard Grubb
26th Street to 27th Place between Yale and Hudson

Sometimes called the “architect’s ghetto,” Lortondale was established to provide quality, stylish homes at affordable prices. A new home with many modern amenities could be purchased for about $14,000 and $100 down. Creative types such as architects, engineers, artists, designers and musicians flocked to the community, and it’s still just as hip half a century later. Lortondale demonstrates the midcentury ethos of democratizing design, or—as Lortondale resident and midcentury real estate expert Dustin Thames calls it—”design accessibility.”  

“Lortondale homes have natural light, texture, open spaces and clean lines in spades,” Thames says. “These elements aren’t novel. In Lortondale, they’re the norm.”

The Vault // Midcentury Modern
1959, renovated in 2012 
620 S. Cincinnati Ave.

Formerly the First National Auto Bank, The Vault was converted to a chic midcentury dining space in 2012 by restaurateur Libby Billings with Shane Fernandez and Micky Payne (read about Payne’s latest project here). The atomic-age Tom Tom Room—First National’s original conference space—now serves as a separate bar/dining area for overflow and private events.

The University Club Tower // Googie
1966, Fred Gauger with Bob Piland and Jack Butz
1722 S. Carson Ave.

You say corncob, we say syringe. At 32 floors, The University Club is the tallest all-residential building in Oklahoma. Gauger, an OSU engineering instructor, designed the residential spaces around a centralized core so that each apartment is shaped like a slice of pie. The first major building in the U.S. to be designed by a computer, the tower is constructed of more than 14,000 lightweight blocks with an exterior of glass, aluminum and insulated colored wall panels. Its unique shape gives each apartment a one-of-a-kind panoramic view of the surrounding area. 

Prayer Tower // Googie 
1967, Frank Wallace
Oral Roberts University, 777 S. Lewis Ave. 

Whether you love or hate the Googie—or, as some call it, Populuxe architecture and design—it is no less significant in American history. Googie’s homage to car culture and space age and atomic obsession are apparent in the Prayer Tower on the ORU campus. Though Wallace intended the building to look like an abstract cross and thorn of crowns, it could just as easily be at home on the set of “The Jetsons.” 

BOK Tower // Contemporary
1975, Minoru Yamasaki and Associates
101 E. 2nd St. 

Internationally known architect Minoru Yamasaki modeled the BOK Tower after another one of his noteworthy skyscraper projects, The World Trade Center in New York. Until the construction of OKC’s Devon Tower in 2011, the 52-floor BOK Tower was the tallest building in the 5 surrounding plains states. The lofty entrance, marble interior and exterior emphasis on verticality is symbolic of commerce and prosperity and looks just like you’d think an urban skyscraper built in the mid-1970s should.

Charles Faudree residential interiors
1977-2013

Internationally known for his French Country-inspired interiors, Charles Faudree is the most recognized interior designer to come out of Oklahoma. His personal touch can be found in numerous Oklahoma residences (including former Tulsa Mayor Kathy Taylor’s house and the Oklahoma Governor’s mansion), the countless homes around the world whose interiors were inspired by his many magazine features and books, and his Stroheim fabric line with Tulsa-based textile company Fabricut. No single person has left more of an imprint on Tulsa interiors than Charles. 

Center 1 // International/Contemporary
Henry Aberson 
Brookside

Having developed incrementally over the past decade, the sleek Center 1 could have just as easily been constructed during the midcentury days of Mies Van der Rohe. It’s quintessential International Style, with a minimal box shape and use of concrete, steel and glass. Developer and retailer Henry Aberson designed Center 1 by standing out on the sidewalk with an artist, looking out across Brookside at an empty parking lot and walking the artist through his vision.  

“Ninety-nine percent of what he drew is what's currently there,” Aberson says. The success of the center has validated Aberson’s belief that good designers are not necessarily architects. Aberson recently acquired the Consortium on the east side of Brookside and plans to extend his minimalist vision there beginning in early 2016.

BOK Center // Contemporary
2008, Cesar Pelli 

When internationally renowned architect Cesar Pelli was commissioned to design the swirling glass, concrete and steel BOK Center, he approached the project with the intention to create an iconic contemporary landmark that also payed homage to our architectural past.

“The BOK Center has an excitement, it has movement and a modernity—all elements that Art Deco architecture has as well,” says Shane Hood, president of Tulsa Foundation for Architecture.

The Urban 8
Near completion, James Boswell
222 S. Kenosha Ave.

James Boswell’s unique aesthetic has shaped midtown restaurants and entertainment venues including In the Raw, Cosmo Cafe, Laffa and the Cain’s Ballroom renovation. His functional-yet-hip sensibility is also evident in these eight small-scale contemporary luxury townhomes, which are designed for urban life in a single-family environment.  

The Boxyard
2016, Selser Schaefer Architects, Nelson Stowe Development
3rd & Frankfort

The Boxyard district will be comprised of a few dozen metal shipping containers of 320-square-foot local retail and entertainment spaces. Anchor tenants including Dwelling Spaces and MASA have already committed to setting up shop in the new development, and art workshops and music events are being planned for common areas. The out-of-the-box project is set to open this spring. 

A Gathering Place for Tulsa
2017, Michael Van Valkenburgh 
Riverside Drive

It’s possible that no other single development will change the landscape and quality of life for Tulsans like A Gathering Place for Tulsa. Nearly 100 acres of public recreational development, the park will run along the Arkansas River and include gardens, ponds, a lake, other water features, a boathouse, areas designed for sports and much more. GKFF’s contribution of $350 million for this development is the largest private donation for a public park in U.S. history.

For more from the Voice's Spatial Recognition issue, read about the Pershing Studios, a historic school building converted to non-traditional housing, and a home bus conversion.