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Tulsa's Modern Dwellings

Life has returned to downtown Tulsa in recent years.

The concrete canyons, once deserted after 5:00 pm not so long ago, are now a mecca for nightlife and loft-loving hipsters. Condos now occupy what was recently an empty lot. Vacant office space is giving way to luxury apartments. And no matter what style the building might be– residential living in Tulsa's central city is a thoroughly modern affair.

Anyone wishing to ogle these new residential developments will have their chance this Sunday. The Tulsa Foundation for Architecture is sponsoring an event called Dwell in the IDL on November 10, 2013 from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm. The name is a nod to the Inner Dispersal Loop, a ring road circling downtown Tulsa.

Tickets are $20 each (and called passports). You can purchase them online in advance or at Dwelling Spaces at 119 S. Detroit until 3:00 pm on the day of the event. Seven properties will be featured (see map below) ranging from new construction to historical rehab.

For more information visit tulsaarchitecture.com.

 

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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

Visit to the Prairie Chicken House

This unique house on the edge of Norman, Oklahoma is known to most as the prairie chicken house. Designed by Herb Greene in 1960, he preferred to call it simply the Prairie House .  Thanks to the  Prairie House Preservation Society  (PHPS) it is now possible for the public to experience one of Oklahoma's most unusual architectural treasures. 

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