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Showing posts from March, 2010

Tulsans Enjoy Another Mod Moment

Modern Tulsa's second Mod of the Moment event was quite a treat for the folks that attended. From curbside the house looked moderately interesting. The only real hint this was a notable mid-mod abode was the carport in lieu of the usual garage. But once inside the magic happened. Small windows and ceiling lights featured butterflies and leaves encased within the glass. Terrazzo floors throughout and an open floorplan made this a worthy stop for this ongoing series of open houses. I've included a few photos to give you an idea of just how cool this house really is. Mod Moments The "Mod of the Moment" is a series of open house events showcasing modern and contemporary homes that on the market, or soon will be. These events are a great idea for a number of reasons. First off, fans of these "unusual" homes get to tour them along with others who appreciate the contemporary aesthetic. It's not just camaraderie though- networking like this is fun and ed

State Tourism Office Gets Hip

Oklahoma's "official" online persona is pretty dry. Our state's home page could best be described as Welcome to Nineties. Which is an improvement over the previous version, that looked like something created using Windows 3.11. But our tourism and recreation office has been a refreshing exception to that trend. A recent overhaul of TravelOK.com offers would-be visitors videos, blogs and articles about a variety of unique destinations that await them in the Sooner State. Yes, even Mid-Century Modern. You know it's gone mainstream when you find an article titled Mid-Century Cool in Oklahoma City on the state travel website. Seriously, it's a helpful article with a good list of notable buildings in The City.

Center 1 Soiree

How's this for short notice... March 11, 2010. Yeah, as in tomorrow. Click it and it will get bigger. : )

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