Exploring Pryor Creek

It was originally called Coo-Y-Yah by the Cherokee, then in 1887 the name was changed to Pryor Creek. Most folks just call it Pryor. Today it's home to about 10,000 people, and a surprising number of interesting modern buildings!

The Googleplex is a landmark in the nearby Midamerica Industrial Park.

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.

Oklahoma's First Celebration of Mod

Last month the first Oklahoma Modernism Weekend was held at the iconic "Church of Tomorrow" in Oklahoma City. The three-day event attracted a large crowd, who were treated to a swap meet, car show, home tour and vintage fashion show.

The Scandia Scandal

Why are people so darned obsessed with remuddling?

Okie Mod Weekend

Oklahoma's first celebration of modern architecture and design will be held May 20-22, 2015.

The event will be hosted by the Okie Mod Squad, an Oklahoma City-based group that promotes the appreciation and preservation of Mid-Century Modern design. To drive home that point they have chosen a uniquely identifiable site to host this first-ever event: The First Christian Church of Oklahoma City.

Photogenic Sites

Congratulations to the Tulsa Zoo!

Turns out the zoo is the "Most Instagrammed Place" in Oklahoma!

Hidden Treasure and the Mystery Orb

The hidden Bertoia.

A plaza in downtown Tulsa has gained recent notoriety as the hiding place for modern art. From street level the corner of 4th Street and Main looks like your typical abandoned gathering place. First Place Tower looms over the concrete planters and vacant benches. But it's the lower level that hides the treasure.

New Mexico Modern

Okie in the Land of Enchantment
Off the Beaten Path In Search of Enchanted Neon, High-Desert Modern and Breaking Bad

Last week I found myself in Albuquerque, New Mexico on business with a few hours of spare time. I went exploring and discovered an innate New Mexico modernism– and some unexpected surprises.

Kentucky Landmark Threatened

Round buildings are cool. I mean, seriously, perpendicular corners are overrated.

Gabe's Tower as it looked in 2007
courtesy Mamiespaw on Flickr

That's why we were thrilled to discover this awesome place called Gabe's Motor Inn, a 13-story hotel built in 1963 located in Owensboro, Kentucky. The groovy circular building featured parking underneath and a rooftop restaurant with a retractable glass roof. It's known locally as Gabe's Tower for obvious reasons.

But as cool as this place is its future is uncertain.

Beginning this year efforts to condemn the building were under way. A grassroots movement has begun to save the landmark tower and preserve the unique history associated with it. Here's a great little video they put together...

Bavinger House Still Standing

An article from the Daily Oklahoman today shows photographs of the unique Norman home still standing- albeit in very poor condition. The Bavinger House was designed by Bruce Goff during his stint at the University of Oklahoma School of Architecture.

Colorado Modern

So you're probably wondering, "What the heck does Colorado have to do with Oklahoma Modern?"

Well, for one Colorado borders Oklahoma. Barely.

Also the renowned architect Charles Deaton, designer of the "sculpture house" that overlooks I-70 west of Denver and is best known from the movie Sleeper, was raised in Oklahoma.

But mainly because... um, we recently visited Colorado for a week. So there. Now sit back and enjoy:

Letters: Visit to Tulsa

Oklahoma Modern reader JS from Dallas writes:

Hi Rex and Jackie- 
I’m an Okie from Shawnee and I enjoy your Oklahoma Modern blog. 
I’m taking a photo trip/family visit to Tulsa in mid-April and want to check with you about what’s still around for me to enjoy. 
Here’s a tentative list: 

Photo Tour: Broken Arrow Moderns

Just a few random images. 

Tulsa's largest suburb isn't usually associated with modernism, but if you look closely there are some unique examples of Mid-Century Modern. Here's a random sampling I snapped on a cloudy day in December...

By far the best known modern structure in BA would have to be this white building on the hill. For decades this former church has been turning heads near the Broken Arrow Expressway. Some people describe it as a covered wagon, others see a cornucopia. But Jackie's nickname for it my favorite is. She has called it the "chicken church" since childhood.

Thoroughly Modern Getaway

We had been hearing about the unique hideaway called the Canebrake for years. I decided Jackie's birthday would be the perfect occasion to get out of town to sample their gourmet menu and spend the night in a cabin in the woods.

The Canebrake is located just east of Wagoner, OK on a peninsula overlooking Fort Gibson Lake. It's miles away from the city lights so it's a great place to "get away from it all."

Carpet City Annexed

Oklahoma's Largest Carpet Co.

For decades the neon sign at 15th and Delaware made this claim. Or variations thereof as certain letters burned out. But the Carpet City building  recently changed hands and is currently being renovated for use as medical offices. The sign was one of the first things to go.

Unfortunately the sleek sandstone building is also losing some of its most unique characteristics. Namely, the swooping triangular carport that has been a landmark since 1948. Yesterday we drove past and saw the front of the building stripped of its Mid-Century charm.

Here's a photo of the building a from a few weeks ago. Today it's not quite as cool.

Sniff, sniff.

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 and visit the Tulsa Air & Space Museum (a fairly modern piece of architecture in its own right). They have an excellent reproduction inside of the original Tulsa Municipal Airport terminal.

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!

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 and you'll notice a massive electric motor hanging from the ceiling to operate the garage door.

The All Electric House was built at a staggering cost of $53,000, at a time when most homes cost a fraction of that amount. For the next 40 years it was just another family home in the suburbs. In 1994 the owners had decided to raze the house and build a larger home on the same property. The story goes that some newspaper clippings were discovered in the garage only days before the bulldozers arrived. The clippings detailed the unique history of the model home and prompted the family to donate the house to the Johnson County Historical Museum.

The house was eventually moved to its present location and restored to its former "Total Electric Living" glory. Which is remarkable when you think about it.

Most people would look at this structure and shrug. After all, there are acres and acres of similar abodes in similar sub-divisions in similar suburbs all across America. It doesn't even have a flat roof or an interior courtyard. But that's precisely why it's so remarkable. The fact is someone did have the vision to take this outwardly unremarkable house, split it in two, move it across town, replace all the period furnishings and lovingly restore all the techie gadgets to working condition.

And we should all be glad they did.

For a virtual tour of the interior visit the All Electric House Home Tour. For an actual tour go to the Johnson County Historical Museum at 6305 Lackman Road in Shawnee, Kansas. For more information visit www.jocomuseum.org.

McModern

Weary travelers making a pit stop on the Muskogee Turnpike may think they've stumbled into a W Hotel. Alas, it's only a McDonalds.

As a child these travel plazas held a science fiction-like fascination. Gaudy signs and futuristic architecture invited you into a world of tomorrow. The best part of any road trip was the rest stop. Like an oasis on the endless ribbon of concrete, the travel plaza provided a much needed break from the monotony of transcontinental travel by car.

The new 15,000 square foot travel plaza, located in Wagoner County, replaced the existing convenience store and Mickey D from the Seventies. Both businesses are now located in one building which opened in April 2011. The decor is open and contemporary, what I'd describe as West Elm-ish. We especially liked the bright red Emeco 111 Navy chairs molded from recycled Coke bottles. Even the toilets are hip, featuring sleek waterless urinals and Dyson Airblade hand dryers.

Another nice touch is the artwork in the center of the restaurant. Four photos of Oklahoma scenes by Muskogee dentist David Jones are displayed on segmented panels. It's a nice touch that adds some local color.

It's no world of tomorrow. But it's nice to see a little effort spent on making it special.

Streamline Overlook

Here's another great example of state park architecture in Oklahoma.

The Wister Dam was built in 1948 and this cool little structure provides a great view of the lake from the shade of its swoopy concrete awning. Originally offering restrooms for weary travelers, they've been locked long ago. But it's still a great little roadside gem.

Wister is located in Southeastern Oklahoma between Poteau and Heavener. The lake offers camping sites and cabins at the state park, not to mention nature trails and a boat ramp. More info on Lake Wister State Park is available on the OK Travel website.

Here's a slideshow with a few more photos from our visit...