Last summer we passed through Cushing, Oklahoma during a road trip searching for Lustron Homes in Oklahoma. We found the two Lustrons located in Cushing, then proceeded to cruise this once-bustling oil town. You should be glad we did! We turned off Highway 33 on Highland Avenue and proceeded south. At about 9th Place we found ourselves in the midst of a Mid-Century Mod haven. Low-slung ranchers were spread out alongside a small creek. The creek also provided space for a neighborhood park. It was a beautiful area and the homes are well kept. Turns out, many of these homes were designed by the late Blaine Imel. Born in Blackwell, Oklahoma, Imel grew up in Cushing and served with the Marines as a fighter pilot during World War Two. During the war he shot down 3 enemy planes, jumped off his aircraft carrier after it was kamikazied and earned numerous medals. After the war he studied architecture at OU under Bruce Goff, and that influence shows in the circular themes and organic shap
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