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Showing posts from August, 2011

Goff's Most "Usual" Design

Bruce Goff is known for his unusual architecture. So our visit to the home he designed for the Cox family in 1949 was a bit of a surprise. From the street it's easily the most "usual" home by Bruce Goff we have ever seen. It even has vertical walls, brick veneer and square corners. There are no spheres or conversation pits or Klingon-inspired roof escarpments. It would be easy to overlook the Cox House. Odds are you'd miss it- even if someone told you to keep an eye out for a Bruce Goff house in Boise City.
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Tulsa's Airport-henge

The terminal at Tulsa International Airport is a classic example of Sixties modernism. Built in 1963 it was designed by the local firm of Murray-Jones-Murray and was highly acclaimed at the time. Just west of Tulsa International Airport's main terminal lies the less elegant general aviation area. This area is actually the original site of Tulsa Municipal Airport- the precursor to the sleek, jet-age airport most of us use today. The general aviation area serves private planes and some military aircraft that stop in for refueling. Near the corner of North Sheridan and Apache is where the original airport terminal building used to stand. Today on that site you'll find the local headquarters of the FAA and National Weather Service. This building is adorned with a variety of unique concrete forms on walls, benches and even this stylized windsock statue. If you're interested in seeing what the original airport terminal looked like head north from here about a mile an
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What Not to Wear: Atoka Edition

Ever been through Atoka? Of course you say, it's on the road to Dallas! But have you ever ventured off US-75? If so, you may have noticed the Atoka County Courthouse. The building is built of lovely sandstone and has those really cool swoopy concrete awnings. Sorry, but I don't know what they're really called- cool swoopy concrete seems appropriate. Maybe we can say CSC for short? Anyway, the CSC theme continues along the side of the building, as shown below: But look closely. Almost as entertaining as the CSC shapes are the highly inappropriate porch lamps someone decided to stick on the side of the building. Not one, but a whole slew of lovely carriage lights! Can you say, gift card from Home Depot? So here's our nomination for the What Not to Wear category- congratulations to the Atoka County Courthouse!
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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
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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
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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
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