Solutions Current Issues > July/August/September 2006 > AT HOME IN OKLAHOMA
Email LinkARCHITECTURAL WONDERS
By BECKY DIXON
In our previous issue, I noted that the oil boom of the 1920s was in part responsible for Tulsa’s incredible performing arts. The same can be said for our architecture. The sky was the limit for oil barons who wanted Tulsa’s buildings to rival those of Chicago and New York.
Becky Dixon is a nationally-known
journalist
and host of the syndicated
TV show Oklahomans.
"Prairie Tree": Frank Lloyd Wright's
Price
Tower is just
one of Oklahoma's
architectural wonders.
Tulsa's Mid-Continent Tower
CLASSICAL Classical architecture is an umbrella term for styles ranging from beaux arts to gothic revival. We have several interesting examples of classical buildings downtown. The Mid-Continent Tower is my favorite. Built in 1918 by charismatic oilman Josh Cosden, the Mid-Continent was Tulsa’s first skyscraper. Initially only 16 stories, the Tudor-Gothic structure was renovated in the 80s. A truss system was installed to support 20 new stories that now project up from within the original building.
Tulsa’s historic Mayo Hotel is also a classic. Modeled after the Plaza Hotel in New York, the Mayo was once the tallest building in the state. Giant Doric columns and 14 floors of sumptuous rooms made this a mecca upon completion in 1925. Though no longer a hotel, the Mayo is a prime venue for banquets and receptions.
ART DECO Characterized by the use of angular, symmetrical geometric forms, art deco was the rage in the 1920s and 30s. Numerous art deco structures dot Tulsa. The Oklahoma Natural Gas (ONG) Company Building, now known as the Noble Drilling Building, is one example. Art deco buildings were often decorated with terra cotta; the ONG Building features Indiana limestone.
Tulsa’s Union Depot is another great example of art deco. Designed by Frisco Railroad architect R.C. Stephens, the Depot has simple lines and a Native American theme. From 1931 through 1967, the Depot was a stop for passenger trains, but in 1982, the original contractors renovated the space into offices.
No discussion of Tulsa art deco could omit Boston Avenue Methodist Church. Completed in 1929 and lauded worldwide as a sterling example of art deco, the church reflects the concept of a lady named Adah Robinson as interpreted by architectural wunderkind Bruce Goff. The church’s most powerful feature is a breathtaking 258-foot tower meant to evoke mankind reaching toward the divine.
MODERN Modern architecture broke with previous styles by relying on steel frameworks and smooth exterior surfaces with regular (rather than symmetrical) patterns and little or no decoration. Tulsa’s Bank of Oklahoma (BOK) Tower is a striking example of modern architecture. At 52 stories, the BOK Tower anchors our downtown skyline and is Oklahoma’s tallest office building. Opened in 1975, the BOK Tower is reminiscent of the World Trade Center Towers, and with good reason: architect Minoro Yamasaki envisioned them all.
Oklahoma’s most unique structure is, arguably, in Bartlesville, an hour’s drive north of Tulsa. For decades the home of Phillips Petroleum (now Houston’s ConocoPhillips), Bartlesville is also home to Price Tower, the sole skyscraper of the legendary Frank Lloyd Wright. The outgrowth of Wright’s plans for a never-started New York apartment complex, Price Tower was built for the Price Pipeline Company and opened in 1956.
A tree grown of concrete and steel, Price Tower has a centralized “trunk” housing its elevators. Nineteen cantilevered floors extend from this trunk to form the “tree’s” branches. Having served residential and commercial purposes through the mid-80s, the building was reimagined in the 90s as Price Tower Arts Center. Three years ago, architect Wendy Evans Joseph created a 21-room hotel and restaurant within the Tower. There are plans to further expand the complex using a design by internationally known architect Zaha Hadid.
And there are many more amazing buildings and homes throughout our state! I invite you to visit us soon and experience firsthand a few of our architectural wonders.
