Skip to main content

Discover Downtown Gems on Tulsa Treasures Tour

This Saturday you can tour some of Tulsa's most important buildings. TulsaNow is sponsoring a walking tour of architecturally significant downtown Tulsa buildings. The free tour will allow visitors to see the ins and outs of four historic buildings. Art Deco to Mid Century Modern is on the menu!

First National Autobank
Just one type of Zig Zag you'll see on the tour.The event comes on the heels of a recently completed survey of Tulsa's architectural assets located within the Inner Dispersal Loop. The survey cataloged over 500 buildings and evaluated their historic and economic assets. This information is valuable to developers seeking tax credits for restoration, or submitting a structure for addition to the National Register of Historic Places.

Tulsa Treasures Tour
Saturday, December 5, 2009
10:00 am to 11:30 am
Begins at the ONG Building
624 S Boston

For more information contact TulsaNow at info@tulsanow.org

Comments

Vintage Roadside said…
Looks like a wonderful tour! We visited Tulsa last year for the National Trust conference and really enjoyed our week downtown.
December 1, 2009 at 2:54 PM
JRB said…
Thanks for dropping in. Glad to hear you enjoyed visiting Tulsa during the Nat'l Preservation Conference.

I think we may have met on the "Back to the Future" bus tour?
December 11, 2009 at 2:02 PM
Post a Comment

The Recent Past

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
1 comment
Read more

OKC's Unique First Christian Church

The Church of Tomorrow Oklahoma's state capitol dome was added some 88 years after the capitol was built, finally completed in 2002. But not far away is another dome that has been turning heads since 1956. It's the First Christian Church of Oklahoma City. Call it a wigwam, igloo, earthbound spaceship or dome- no matter how you describe the shape of the sanctuary, it's definitely eye-catching. The thin-shell concrete dome is massive, with seating for 1200. Connected to the dome is a four-story administrative building and a 185-seat theater. Dedicated as "The First Christian Church of Tomorrow," the architecture caught the attention of local newspapers, as well as Life magazine (Feb. 1957). Last summer I had a unique opportunity to explore these interesting buildings. The main complex was designed by R. Duane Conner in 1953. Conner was a member of the congregation and offered three different designs for the church. Credit is also attributed to his partner, Fr
2 comments
Read more

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
1 comment
Read more