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Pops: Oklahoma's Modern Landmark

All modern isn't Mid Century. It's just that most new construction is numbingly bland. Ironic.

Route 66 Landmark in ArcadiaMost landmarks along Route 66 are vintage. One notable exception is Pop's Soda Shop. Since opening in 2007 the futuristic cantilever roof in Arcadia, Oklahoma has become an instant landmark for travelers on Route 66. But instead of a predictable Faux Fifties theme, this landmark carved a distinctively modern silhouette in the Oklahoma sky the evening we visited.

Pop's is primarily a gas station and burger joint conceived by natural gas magnate, Aubrey McClendon. The gimmick is pop. Lots of pop (or soda to you out-of-towners), all housed in that futuristic landmark with a 66-foot tall Coke bottle out front. It all combines to make this gas station a destination for locals and Route 66 tourists alike.

We stopped at Pop's Soda Shop in ArcadiaThe building is the product of OKC firm Elliott + Associates, a prolific source of modernist residential and commercial structures. The restaurant building is native red rock stone and glass, open and bright. Hovering above is a steel canopy that stretches 100 feet to cover the building and forecourt. Even the gas pumps are futuristic dispensers from Gilbarco.

The result? Thoroughly Oklahoma modern. It makes Pop's a unique spot to just hang out on the Mother Road. Or have lunch, gas up, or maybe even grab a pop!

Futuristic fule pumps at Pops.
Off-the-shelf concrete benches spoil an otherwise contemporary landscape.

Roof support detail from below.

Comments

archutah said…
We went here on our mini 66 tour in October before the Trust conference and found it to be one of the highlights of our trip - new or old. Got great soda, breakfast, and photos. I've told many more about it who plan to make the stop!
Yogi♪♪♪ said…
POPs is on my to do list. I love this blog!

Thanks for your post on mine. I like the Tulsa library interior a lot. The open feel, the fountain, all the tile work is nice.

The plaza out front doesn't work for me. Too hot or too cold, nothing going on.
JRB said…
I'm happy to report the lame concrete benches are nowhere to be seen!

On a recent trip to Arcadia we were delighted to spy very cool white metal benches adorning the sidewalks. They were sort of a "folded paper" style that really looked great with the rest of the building.

Good job guys!

The Recent Past

Oklahoma State Capitol Bank

On the Trail of Julius Shulman: Stop 2 "This is a bank," the sign outside the futuristic building read. According to legend a prankster added a strategic question mark and echoed the sentiment of many passers-by: "This is a bank?" That was back in 1964 when it opened. Today the Arvest on Lincoln Boulevard looks a bit less Jetsonian, mostly due to replacement of structural glass below the "saucers," but it's still an unusual bank. Designed by Robert Roloff of the architectural firm Bailey, Bozalis, Dickinson & Roloff, the State Capitol Bank caused quite a stir in Oklahoma City when it opened. Heck, it's still pretty shocking today! Originally the flying saucers appeared to hover above the building (as seen in this vintage postcard). All the glass that made that effect possible also made heating and cooling an expensive proposition. Security concerns also mandated replacement of those windows with solid materials and small square portholes

Visit to the Prairie Chicken House

This unique house on the edge of Norman, Oklahoma is known to most as the prairie chicken house. Designed by Herb Greene in 1960, he preferred to call it simply the Prairie House .  Thanks to the  Prairie House Preservation Society  (PHPS) it is now possible for the public to experience one of Oklahoma's most unusual architectural treasures. 

The Bruce Goff House in Vinita

We were recently surprised to learn about a Goff-designed home just an hour away from Tulsa in Vinita, Oklahoma. Vinita is probably best known to OK Mod readers as the home of the Glass House on I-44, also known as (shudder) the World's Largest Largest McDonalds . Anywho, turned out the Goff house was on the market, and the owner was more than happy to let us have a look around. We took a short drive up the turnpike one Sunday afternoon to meet the realtor, snap some pictures, ask some questions and enjoy another one of Bruce Goff's unique creations. The home is known as the Adams House and was built in 1961. The 3,700 square foot home is arranged in a circular floor plan with a large sunken "conversation pit" at the center. Rising up from this pit is a large metal fireplace, its chimney surrounded by skylights, which dominates the entire house. Rooms surround the perimeter with folding accordion doors acting as walls. To maintain some semblance of privacy an inner