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Showing posts from July, 2011

Eerie Reminder

Once Upon An Island: Twin Towers Rising The current exhibit at the Price Tower Arts Center features more than 100 photographs taken during construction of the World Trade Center. The images were taken by Richard Quinney while he was taking a photography class at the International Center for Photography in 1969. Quinney eventually moved to Madison, Wisconsin, packing away the original slides where they remained virtually untouched for the next 30 years. photo courtesy pricetower.org In 2002 the collection was donated to the Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison. Prints were made and the eventual result was Once Upon on Island: Twin Towers Rising . The images not only document the building of these landmark structures, but also an important era in American history. Eerily the eventual fate of these buildings hangs heavy over the entire exhibit- which will be on display through September 11, 2011. Before You Go Construction of One Williams Center courtesy of the Beryl Ford

All Modern Memo: Save on Kartell & Alessi

Our friends at All Modern.com are offering special pricing on some of the best known names in modern home furnishings- Kartell and Alessi. Huge Kartell Sale This Week! Through July 17th all Kartell products are 15% off. For innovative contemporary design, shop the entire collection of Kartell furniture. From accent tables and barstools to ghost chairs and modern lighting, you'll find everything you need for every room in your home. 15% Off All Kartell Modern Furniture Sale ends July 17th   20% Off Top Selling Alessi Collections The bestselling Alessi collections are 20% off all month. Alessi's intention, from the beginning, was to be highly innovative with cookware. Today Alessi is well known for its unique collaboration with designers and architects to produce beautiful, quality cookware and whimsical home accessories. 20% Off Top Selling Alessi Modern Items   Sale ends July 31st

The All Electric House

In 1953 the Kansas City Power & Light utility company decided to build a model home to showcase the virtues of total electric living. The home was designed in the new "ranch style" and featured all the latest conveniences. They decided on a location in a suburb called Prairie Village, Kansas. The home was completed in 1954 and within six months more than 60,000 visitors had toured the model home. Standing outside today you might wonder what all the fuss was about. The exterior is a typical ranch with wood shingles and a two-car garage. But step inside and you'll be transported to a world of Fifties high-tech. Automatic night lights illuminate the living room and hallway. The large picture window is shaded by motorized curtains. A panel beside the sofa provides remote control of the television- which is hidden by a painting! The laundry room is outfitted with a combination washer/dryer (an appliance now popular for space-conscious apartments). Step into the garage

Favorites: Modern Design Stamps

Cool stamps are not always easy to find. I mean, you could always create and print your own photo stamps . But if you just want to drop by the post office and buy some cool stamps- well, you'll usually be disappointed. That is until now! On Wednesday the USPS unveiled a new series of stamps honoring 12 giants of industrial design. The Pioneers of American Industrial Design series includes influential designers like Henry Dreyfuss, Norman Bel Geddes and Raymond Loewy. Even the border of the stamp pane (or selvage as it's known in philatelic circles) is adorned with the classic Airflow house fan- as seen in the recent American Streamlined exhibit at Tulsa's Philbrook Museum ! Each stamp features the name of a designer and a photograph of an object they created, as well as a description and year the object was created. To learn more than you ever wanted to know about stamp collecting (including what "selvage" means) visit our featured favorite, Beyond the Pe

The Recent Past

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

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

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