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TFA Virtual Tours Highlight Modernism

Architecture tours are a big deal at the Tulsa Foundation for Architecture. But the pandemic has put a damper on Second Saturdays, the popular series of walking tours TFA has popularized. This put a serious hurt on their budget... and mission statement. So just as the Covid-19 has forced most of us to learn how to do new things in the virtual world, so has TFA. Their tours have gone virtual.
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Frank Wallace: 1923-2020

The man responsible for Tulsa's most loved/hated architectural landmark (depending on your personal viewpoint) passed away March 28, 2020. Wallace, among other things, was the man behind the futuristic campus of Oral Roberts University.
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Painting the Continuous Present

When it rains it pours! Another great museum exhibition featuring works by Herb Greene and Bruce Goff will open January 24th at Price Tower Arts Center.
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Modern Fireplace Redo

Breathing New Life into a Midcentury Fireplace A few years ago we discovered the fireplace flu in our 1964 ranch home was unusable. Cracks in the flu pipe allowed smoke to leak into our attic– and eventually the living room. Yuck. This discovery was followed by a quote for more than $3,000 to repair it! Double-yuck. Time to explore some options.
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Renegades Showcases the OU School of Architecture

A new exhibit examines the University of Oklahoma School of Architecture and its unique approach to architectural studies in the years following World War Two.  Renegades: Bruce Goff and the American School of Architecture features more than 150 drawings, artifacts and objects, including works by Bruce Goff, Herb Greene and many more. Renegades: the book features essays and illustrations of a uniquely American style of architecture .
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The Recent Past

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.
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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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