Modernista enjoy a Modern Tulsa home tour through Lortondale in 2009. Tulsa has many beautiful historic neighborhoods. Over the years we've seen some of them severely decline, but fortunately many returned to become more vibrant than ever. One neighborhood that came close to the brink was Lortondale. The resurgence of this svelte subdivision is documented in a recent article in Tulsa People (see link below).
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