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Showing posts from June, 2008

House of Clay

The Frankoma house was designed by Bruce Goff for the founders of Frankoma Pottery, John and Grace Lee Frank. It was completed in 1956 with a great deal of the work being done by the Franks. We recently had the opportunity to tour this unique home and learn more about the history of Frankoma. Today Joniece and Donna Frank call the house their home, and work hard to preserve it and their parents' memory. A recent Tulsa World article announced they were offering tours and listed a phone number to call. Needless to say, we had to call. Our tour ended up lasting over two hours. Turns out, seeing a unique house was the least we'd accomplished. We were treated to a unique insight into the history of Frankoma, the Frank family and the unique architecture of Bruce Goff. We left with a greater appreciation for the artistry of these pottery makers, and the unique interaction this family had with the architect who designed their home. The House The Frank Home is perched along

Roadside Moderne

I see a lot of modern-looking structures along the highway. There's probably a higher concentration of unique designs out on the road because of the desire to catch your attention as you whiz past. Some of the most interesting roadside attractions are also the most mundane. Consider the lowly highway rest stop. Many of our state's rest areas don't even offer travelers a rest room . But a few rest stops found along Oklahoma interstates feature picnic tables under stylized tepees. I've always admired this clean and simple form made of nothing more than three sticks and a circle. Another mid-century solution to shelter stylish picnickers was concrete. Lots of concrete. I spotted a good example of structural concrete shelters at a city park in Enid. These umbrella-like canopies, and their single support, are made completely of concrete. Public works projects are quite often accessorized with the latest look. This simple little shelter overlooks Broken Bow Lake and

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

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

Home of ORU Architect on the Auction Block

Frank Wallace is best known as the man behind the futuristic look of the Oral Roberts University campus. On October 14, 2010 his unique home overlooking ORU will be sold in a public auction conducted by Mister Ed's Auctions . Jackie and I recently had a chance to visit with Mr. Wallace and learn more about the house, his career and his thoughts on architecture. When we visited we expected to snap a few photos of an empty house and speak with a representative from the auction company. To our surprise the door opened, and we were greeted by Mr. Wallace himself! After assuring him we were not architects, he let us look around. Unfortunately we were not prepared to interview the man whose buildings incite such extremely diverse reactions- but that didn't stop me from asking him several questions anyway.  The home, completed in 1980, was designed and built by Wallace who is now 87. The expansive home is so large that Wallace spends most of his time in a room that was his la