Last month the National Trust for Historic Preservation presented their 2007 Board of Advisors Award to the Gold Dome Bank in Oklahoma City. When plans were announced to demolish this iconic structure, local preservationists launched a spirited, grassroots campaign to save this Buckminster Fuller-inspired geodesic dome. Now, it’s a thriving mixed-use center that anchors the city’s newly designated Asian District. > full press release I remember seeing this building as a child from the back seat of our Ford Galaxie 500. That entire area around 23rd and Classen always fascinated me— the Townley's Milk Bottle, The Price Tower-esque office building and the brick storefronts lining Route 66. When the word got out that Walgreens planned to demolish the Gold Dome Bank I was working for About.com as their guide for Tulsa. I immediately began typing a feature about the volunteer effort to save this 1958 aluminum-clad beauty. It's inspiring to see those efforts paid off!
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