Farewell Lynne's Lens

We were saddened last week to learn about the loss of a dear friend, Lynne Rostochil. She quietly lost her battle with cancer on November 7, 2019.

Bridge to Nowhere

Last week my commute took me down South Harvard under the unique pedestrian bridge near 56th Street. A City of Tulsa truck and work lift were parked nearby as a crew deployed safety cones. I thought nothing of it and continued on my way.

Then this week I noticed the entrances to the circular bridge ramps were blocked off. A sign read: BRIDGE CLOSED-NO TRESPASSING.

Stage Center Seeking Rescue

The efforts to save Stage Center continue. Buttons and t-shirts are being sold, a petition has been launched and Preservation Oklahoma has appealed the demolition ruling. On March 5, 2014 a lunchtime rally is scheduled at the site from 11:30 to 1:00 to motivate volunteers and encourage supporters to attend the appeals hearing the next day.

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AllModern.com is part of Wayfair and offers famous names like Alessi, Vitra, Heller, Missoni, Knoll, Kartell, Blu Dot, Artek, Steelcase, Umbra, Blomus and more.

Or maybe you'd prefer to just purchase a subscription to Dwell?

Are You Hip?

There seems to be a lot of Mid Mod from Tulsa in the media lately.

The Fall issue of Prairie Hive features a hip pad in Wedgwood called the Futurama. The former Parade of Homes standout suffered several years of abuse by tenants and landlords before being rescued through Nick and Jinger's...
Pop Mod Partnership

The October issue of Oklahoma Magazine has a nice pictorial on the Lortondale home of Brandi Hezinger. Purists may scoff at the modified floorplan- but the hip vibe is fully intact in this...
Retro Redux

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Image courtesy Prairie Hive

Historic Tax Credits: saving more than history

Historic tax credits were in the news again here in Oklahoma. Unfortunately.

After placing a two-year deferral on the payments, state legislators revisited the program again last month with an eye on axing it entirely. This short-sighted approach has left developers in a quandary and projects on hold. Politicians claim they have no "hard evidence" of the benefit these incentives provide. But the proof is all around them.

The Tulsa Foundation for Architecture has compiled a compelling case for historic tax credits. A wide variety of properties across the state have been restored, updated and rescued by virtue of these funds. In Tulsa the benefits are evident on most any weekday evening. See all those people? Yes, there are people downtown after 5:00 pm. A scant ten or fifteen years ago that would have been unusual.

Rejuvenated Tulsa

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).

Save the Date for Dallas Mods

One of our favorite events isn't in Oklahoma, but it is modern.

The White Rock Home Tour is an annual tour showcasing some of Dallas' nicest Mid-Century Modern homes. This area is northeast of downtown Dallas, near White Rock Lake, and features ranch-style and minimalist homes from the Fifties and Sixties. 

Each year the tour highlights 5 or 6 homes, some vintage and some new construction. The weekend also features architectural lectures and exhibits. Proceeds from the event benefit Hexter Elementary, a nearby public school. For 2012 the tour will be held April 21st and 22nd.

So mark your calendars, Okies! We'll round up the wagons and make ourselves a convoy. Breaker, breaker. Headin' down to Big D. 10-4.

More

• White Rock Home Tour Home Page
• White Rock Home Tour on Facebook
• Modern Dallas

Plywood Challenge

I've been shopping for a new desk.

Then I read about a design competition sponsored by More Branding to design a desk from a single sheet of plywood.

Thus the name: 4 x 8.

It was so much fun they decided to invite others from the Tulsa design community to participate. Fifteen entries were received the first day.  What started out as a simple office project to replace some desks has turned into a full-blown, hard-core, design throwdown. The call for entries has gone out (and reprinted when they ran out) and come January we'll see just how creative T-Town really is. But wait...

There is more.

To top it off a showcase and silent auction will be held March 2012. The proceeds from each desk will benefit the school of each designer's choice! As of yet the location is yet to be determined- but if the pace of entries continue I'm thinking airplane hanger.

So now I'm thinking it's time to design my own desk. Or maybe I'll wait and see what turns up and just buy one at the auction in March. Either way it sounds like a win-win.

Learn more about the 4X8 Design Competition

Goff's Signature Work in Shambles

We're finally seeing the true status of the iconic Bavinger House.

This aerial video was shot from Oklahoma City's News 9 helicopter and clearly shows the spire is toppled and the roof has partially collapsed.



The Bavinger House website now states the home is closed due to severe storm damage. Reports from architecture groups on Facebook indicate the owner may be willing to allow a photographer inside to document the damage. It was also reported he will be posting information about the house on a new blog.

For those unfamiliar with this unusual building, or this unusual turn of events, I'd recommend reading Masterpiece in Peril by Lynne Rostochil. I've also posted more photos of the Bavinger House from an architectural tour sponsored by the Oklahoma City Museum of Art in 2009.

Video courtesy of KWTV-Oklahoma City.

Five Hundred Bucks from Lushpad

Check it out!

Our favorite mod classifieds are giving away a $500 shopping spree towards the purchase of any item listed on LushPad!

If you're looking to sell your unwanted Tiki pole lamp or wacky ashtray- now is the time! And to entice you even more Lushpad is offering you a discount code for your listing fees. Just type in JUNESPREE on the checkout page to get 50% off your listing fees. So drop in and browse, buy or sell. It's all good!

Favorites: Plan 59

One of my favorites sites to waste time on is Plan59.com. They offer the most impressive collections of lush retro graphics on the web. These images are taken from commercial artwork, most from the Fifties and Sixties. The high-res scans they create eventually become prints you can buy, clipart for Corporate America or eye candy for nerds like me to enjoy.

Plan 59.com

The site was created in 1999 as Ephemera Now. While I happened to like that moniker, it was deemed too cerebral for the average putz. In 2006 the site became Plan 59, which I can only assume is an homage to the year Detroit reached the pinnacle of tail fin technology: 1959.

But chrome and fins are only part of the story. Images scanned from Mid-Century ads include modern kitchens, wacky products and sporty swimsuits. There's even a section of artwork from vintage produce crates!

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Historic School Threatened

We first told you about the unique Phillis Wheatley School in New Orleans, and the efforts of the World Monuments Fund to save it, back in October 2009.

The good news- the building is still there.

The bad news is the structure isn't getting any better, and a permit for demolition was recently requested.

A petition asking the Mayor of New Orleans, Mitchell Landrieu, to stop the plan to demolish the school building has been circulated. The letter cites the school's importance to the black community as well as its unique architecture. Currently the petition has nearly 1100 signatures.

Built in 1954, the school's cantilever design is unique to say the least. It takes advantage of its own footprint to provide much needed shade from the noon-day sun. A plan for a possible re-use of the site has even been proposed by DOCOMO-Louisiana.

You can help by signing the petition...

Save the Phillis Wheatley School

BOK Center Hosts NCAA Tournament

This week the BOK Center was in the national limelight as Tulsa hosted the NCAA Tournament. The striking stainless steel structure has become a nationally renowned venue for sports and entertainment, and a catalyst for the rebirth of downtown.

But it wasn't an easy road.

What we know today as the BOK Center took three attempts at the ballot box and a lengthy public debate to become reality. The package known as Vision 2025 bundled the new arena with other downtown renovations, residential incentives and a proposed airplane factory. Tulsa County voters approved that measure in 2003, Cesar Pelli was asked to submit a design for the arena and the airliner deal lost out to Everett, WA.

The proposed design was mocked and criticized. Naysayers complained about the size, the cost, the location, the parking- and once the design was approved- the aesthetics. Detractors have called it everything from a crushed beer can to a steel tornado.

Cesar Pelli's arena design was the result of Tulsa's request for a building that would become an architectural icon. Pelli considered many aspects of Tulsa's heritage- and the final design "resonates with Tulsa’s Native American past, but the modern materials and scale look to the future." In 2008 the BOK Center opened after 3 years construction and a total cost of $198 million.

But the primary goal of Vision 2025 was not merely, well... visual. Improving infrastructure and boosting the rebirth of downtown Tulsa was a big part of the proposal's pitch to voters. To gauge that aspect just drive downtown any weekend. You'll probably find something scheduled at the BOK: concerts, big name acts, local sporting events- maybe even a nationally televised basketball tournament!

Judging from the success the BOK Center has enjoyed since 2008, and the positive reaction from the general public, it's managed to fulfill the vision civic leaders hoped for. And personally, I think it looks really, really cool.

The stainless steel skin reflects the sun even on a cloudy day.

The BOK Center has hosted everything from Elton John to Arenacross.

Slipstreaming Through History

Philbrook's latest exhibit was scheduled to open last week, but a record-breaking snowstorm changed that plan. So if you're a procrastinator, or didn't even know about this exhibit, consider yourself lucky! American Streamlined Design will open on Sunday, February 13 at Philbrook.

The exhibit features streamlined objects that exemplify the Golden Age of Aerodynamics, from the Twenties through the Fifties. Many of the objects on display are household items that borrow from the flowing lines of period aircraft, automobiles- even locomotives. This style celebrated the vision of a technological future where industry and science could overcome any obstacle- and do it with class.

So hop in the De Soto, or gas up the dirigible, and join us in the world or tomorrow!


American Streamlined Design
February 13 - May 15, 2011
Philbrook Museum of Art

Unica Home: Outlet Offers Modern on the Cheap

With the recent Snowpocalypse we found ourselves with plenty of time on our hands.

Fortunately we had Internet access and the power never went out. Seemed like the perfect time to surf some of my favorite websites! That includes a shop called Unica Home.

I had the pleasure of visiting Unica a few years ago during a business trip to Las Vegas. I had some time to kill and decided to drop in and see their store. They have tons of cool modern gadgets and furnishings- famous name stuff like Alessi, Chilewich, Blomus, Heller, Fornasetti, Hario and such.

The big news I just discovered was their new eBay Store! This is their online outlet that offers closeouts, discontinued items, one-offs and floor samples. Mod and cheap! What could be better? Check it out at stores.ebay.com/unicahome-outlet, and tell `em OK Modern sent you!

Unica Home Outlet

Aloft Hotel Opens in Tulsa

Aloft Tulsa Delivers Style at a Steal to Savvy Travelers

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT), today announces the debut of its Aloft brand in Oklahoma with the opening of Aloft Tulsa. Owned by Anish Hotels Group and managed by LodgeWorks, L.P., this brand-new destination sensation features 136 spacious, open rooms, a tech-forward sensibility and a vibrant, social atmosphere.

Aloft Tulsa is ideally located in south Tulsa, home to the city's best shops, restaurants, entertainment and commerce. The stylish, new hotel is just a few blocks from the 71st Street shopping and dining district, Woodland Hills Mall, historic downtown Tulsa, Oral Roberts University and the concerts and sporting events at BOK Center. Also nearby are Hard Rock Casino, River Spirit Casino and Tulsa's scenic RiverWalk. Offering more than 1,000 square feet of state-of-the-art meeting space, Aloft Tulsa is convenient to the offices of Cox Communications, Metlife Insurance and Hilti Corporation. Guests will enjoy fast and free hotel-wide WiFi and complimentary shuttle service within five miles of the hotel. Aloft Tulsa boasts atmospheric public spaces where guests can mix and mingle, read the paper, work on laptops, play a game of pool or grab a drink with friends at the re:mix(SM) communal lobby area and w xyz(SM) bar.

"Aloft Hotels introduces a dynamic mix of urban style and social interplay to south Tulsa, the city's top destination for dining and entertainment," said Brian McGuinness, Senior Vice President of Specialty Select Brands for Starwood. "With its bold design and forward-thinking technology, Aloft caters to savvy travelers who expect their lodging to reflect their constantly evolving lifestyle."

"We are delighted to partner with Starwood to introduce Aloft to Tulsa, an ideal choice for the expansion of this stylish new brand, which now boasts more than 40 global destinations," said Tony Isaac, President of LodgeWorks, L.P. "Aloft Tulsa caters to sophisticated travelers as well as area professionals with its eclectic and electric experience, lively re:mix (sm) lounge and w xyz (sm)bar."

Photo courtesy of Starwood Hotels

Great New Look for Cheap Motels

A couple of months ago we shared a news release from Motel 6 about their new prototype room designs. This new modern look was being applied to rooms in new construction as well as Motel 6 makeovers. This also coincides with the company's green initiative. In October 2009 the first LEED-certified economy hotel in the US opened in Nortlake, Texas.

The project is code named "Phoenix" and includes sustainable features like the use of technologically-advanced heating and cooling systems, native landscaping with drought-resistant plants, thermal solar water heating, flooring made from 80% post-consumer recycled material and a Fluorescent Light Bulb and Battery Recycling Program.

Accor North America, the parent company of Motel 6, says...

Since its introduction in March 2008, the award-winning Motel 6 “Phoenix” room design has been incorporated into more than 70 of Motel 6’s existing corporate-owned and franchised locations in more than 20 U.S. markets. Guestroom features include a modern, Euro-chic design by Priestmangoode of London, 32” flat-screen TVs, wood-effect flooring, granite bathroom countertops, and a comfortable settee area conducive for eating, working, or watching TV. The design won Travel + Leisure magazine’s 2010 Design Award for “Best Large Hotel.”

We decided to try out this new modern look on a recent trip to Dallas. Our immediate reaction was "Wow." Such a clean and open floorplan is a radical departure from your typical motel fare that seems to stuff more furnishings into a room for "perceived value." The lack of sticky carpet was a most welcome relief.

While the amenities leave no doubt this is budget accommodations, the stay was virtually boutique.

Here's a short video look at our arrival in Addison, Texas...



Good job Motel 6!

Lushpad: the Modern Marketplace

Need some extra Christmas cash?

Consider selling your surplus furnishings or accessories on LushPad, the modern marketplace.

Unlike eBay, you'll find nothing but cool retro hardware for mod living on Lushpad.com. And for a limited time you can list you modern classics on LushPad for free. It's easy- just enter SAARINEN when you list your items.



Lushpad gives you access to a large audience of qualified buyers specifically looking for new and used contemporary and mid-century modern furniture and fine art.  List items under $250 and wanted ads for free all the time. Plus, there are no commissions or back-end fees on your sold items. One fee. No hassles.

Unleash Your Chic Challenge

Need to reclaim your living room? Ready for a modern home makeover? Would $25,000 help?

All Modern presents their Unleash Your Chic Side challenge!

The $25,000 grand prize consists of a modern living room makeover by John Gidding, plus furniture and accents from Gus Modern, Herman Miller, Missoni Home, Blomus, ET2 Lighting, and Inhabit.

Enter now and you're an instant winner with 10% off your next order! Tell them why you want to infuse more modern style in your living room, and how a $25,000 makeover from AllModern.com and John Gidding will help you unleash your chic side. 

Grand Prize: $25,000 modern living room makeover designed by John Gidding, including new seating, lighting, accessories and more!

Second Prize: $2,000 worth of modern accents and accessories.

Third Prize: $1,000 assortment of modern accents. 


Enter to Win!


Browse the full collection of modern furnishings and famous name designs...