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Tulsa Architecture Photos Part 1


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#1 Dismuke

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Posted 18 June 2004 - 11:57 PM

Here are more photos of great buildings that I saw in Tulsa last weekend. Unlike the previous Tulsa postings I put up, this one is not devoted to just one particular building.

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Pythian Building. Construction on this three story art deco office building began in 1929. The original plan was to add an additional 10 floors of hotel rooms on top of it but, because of the onset of the Great Depression, that never happened. Unfortunately, the lobby area was closed the day I visited but, like many other buildings I saw in downtown Tulsa, it would be a hard call to have to choose which is more attractive, the exterior or the lobby.

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Pythian Building detail


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Pythian Building detail



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One of the Pythian Building doorways


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Pythian Building corner detail


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Tulsa has its own Sinclair Building. It is a nice building but, unfortunately, because of the position of the sun at the time I was there, I did not take any additional photos of it. My understanding is that this was the Sinclair oil company's original headquarters.


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McFarlin Building. Does this building not remind you a bit of the Ashton Hotel before it was restored? The building was built in 1918 by oilman Robert McFarlin. The building is on the National Register but, unfortunately its base has been botched up and its original interior has been destroyed.


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McFarlin Building.



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McFarlin Building detail.



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McFarlin Building detail.


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The rest of this posting will be devoted to the three remarkable buildings in this photo. The closest one is the Philtower Building. The one in the middle is the Atlas Life Building. The one behind it is the Mid-Continent Building. All three buildings have their original lobbies intact and are incredibly beautiful. Unfortunately, all three were closed when I visited and I was unable to photograph the lobbies.


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In the center of the photograph is the upper portion of the Philtower Building. It was built in 1927 by oilman Waite Phillips (brother of Frank Phillips of Phillips 66 fame). It is still one of the more prominent buildings on the Tulsa skyline. It has been on the National Register since 1979. In 1929, Phillips built another magnificent building, the Philcade, across the street in an effort to discourage businesses from moving to the other side of downtown. The two buildings were connected by an underground tunnel. I will put up some photos I took of the Philcade in another posting. In this photo, you can see a portion of the top of the Philcade sticking up to the left of the Philtower.



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Entrance to Philtower Building.


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Philtower Building detail.



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The Philtower Building is nicely illuminated at night. Unfortunately, I was a number of blocks away when I took this using my zoom lens and had a difficult time holding the camera still enough to take a decent picture.



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Neon lights on top of the Philtower Building.


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The Atlas Life Building. I think this is a really neat building. It was built in 1922. On the roof is a very nice statue of Atlas holding the world on his shoulders. In front is a vintage vertical sign which also features a depiction of Atlas. I was unable to photograph the lobby, but it contains another Atlas, this time with the world on his back serving as a giant clock. For some reason, this building is not yet on the National Register.


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Statue of Atlas on the roof of the Atlas Life Building.


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Here you can see the vintage vertical neon sign on the front of the Atlas Life Building. They still light it up at night. In this photo from front to back are: The Mid-Continent Building, the Atlas Life Building, the Philtower Building and the Philcade.


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Detail of Atlas Life vertical neon sign showing another depiction of Atlas.


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The Mid-Continent Building/Mid-Continent Tower. This is one of the more prominent buildings on the Tulsa skyline. In reality, it is two buildings. One of the buildings is a historic 16 story skyscraper built in 1918 that was originally known as the Cosden Building and was later known as the Mid-Continent Building. The building is on the National Register and was carefully restored during the 1980s. Because the building is considered small by modern standards, the developers took what I consider to be a very innovative approach toward redeveloping the property. Directly behind the building they built a second identical 16 story structure from which rises a 20 story tower that is cantilevered 40 feet over the original 1918 structure. The exterior of the newer portion of the complex is identical to that of the original building and it gives the appearance of a 20 story tower rising out of a large 16 story base. In reality, they are two structurally distinct buildings that do not even touch. A six inch space separates the two. The older building continues to be known as the Mid-Continent Building while the newer building is known as the Mid-Continent Tower.

In the above photo, the section that juts out on the right side is the original 1918 structure. The left section as well as the recessed portion between them and the tower above are all part of the 1980s expansion. Kind of hard to tell the difference, isn't it? One often hears people say that it would be impossible and too costly today to put up buildings with the detail and quality of those from the early 20th century. Well, here is an example of exactly that.

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Clock on side of Mid-Continent Building base.

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Porch over entry to 1980s Mid-Continent tower. Doesn't look like something from the '80s, does it?


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Detail of one of the buildings - I cannot remember which

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Top of the 1980s Mid-Continent Tower.



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At night, the entire facade of the Mid-Continent Tower and its top are illuminated. It is a very impressive sight. Unfortunately, my photo of it was not very good.

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Mid-Continent Tower in center with the Philtower Building at the left. I forget what the name of the pretty art deco building in the front is called and I unfortunately did not take any additional photos of it. Downtown Tulsa has so many great buildings that there were a few that I did not get around to.


I have plenty more photos from my trip and I will post them in a subsequent thread.
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#2 John T Roberts

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Posted 19 June 2004 - 06:20 AM

The Mid-Continent Tower made architectural headlines when it was constructed because the idea was so novel. The group of buildings reads very well as one structure, rather than two.

I have enjoyed your Tulsa threads, so keep the pictures coming.

#3 Doug

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Posted 19 June 2004 - 07:42 PM

Enjoy the photos very much, Dismuke. Have driven around Tulsa so many times to and from Chicago without ever realizing what excellent architectural history survives there. Thanks for all your effort and explanations.

I had a similarly enjoyable experience in the "history rich" Cincinnati and Covington KY area. Unfortunately I was sans camera and have only memories of extrordinary buildings, churches and houses.

#4 Spartan65

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Posted 16 October 2006 - 08:16 PM

Oh architecture gets by in T-Town. Few Tulsans appreciate because the bums. There was one time I was in DT after dark and actually found a bum bathing in the Bartlett Square Fountain. That's not to say there are recent efforts to make downtown a more attractive place... and it really already is. Just more money could go here and there, and so on...

Thanks for that photo tour.

#5 David Love

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Posted 16 October 2006 - 08:35 PM

The first house I invested a considerable amount of blood in was on South Columbia St in Tulsa; lots of fond memories.

Better Business Bureau:  A place to find or post valid complaints for auto delerships and maintenance facilities. (New Features) If you have a valid gripe about auto dealerships, this is the place to voice it.


#6 Spartan65

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Posted 16 October 2006 - 08:56 PM

Was that around TU?

#7 David Love

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Posted 17 October 2006 - 12:51 PM

QUOTE(Spartan65 @ Oct 16 2006, 09:56 PM) View Post

Was that around TU?


After looking at it on a map it was 1603 S. Columbia Pl.


Better Business Bureau:  A place to find or post valid complaints for auto delerships and maintenance facilities. (New Features) If you have a valid gripe about auto dealerships, this is the place to voice it.


#8 cjyoung

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Posted 19 October 2006 - 03:01 PM

QUOTE(Spartan65 @ Oct 16 2006, 09:16 PM) View Post

Oh architecture gets by in T-Town. Few Tulsans appreciate because the bums. There was one time I was in DT after dark and actually found a bum bathing in the Bartlett Square Fountain. That's not to say there are recent efforts to make downtown a more attractive place... and it really already is. Just more money could go here and there, and so on...

Thanks for that photo tour.


I like Tulsa.

I didn't see any bums when I was there three weeks ago.

#9 DrkLts

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Posted 19 October 2006 - 06:05 PM

great pics

#10 Spartan65

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Posted 20 October 2006 - 02:19 PM

QUOTE(cjyoung @ Oct 19 2006, 04:01 PM) View Post

QUOTE(Spartan65 @ Oct 16 2006, 09:16 PM) View Post

Oh architecture gets by in T-Town. Few Tulsans appreciate because the bums. There was one time I was in DT after dark and actually found a bum bathing in the Bartlett Square Fountain. That's not to say there are recent efforts to make downtown a more attractive place... and it really already is. Just more money could go here and there, and so on...

Thanks for that photo tour.


I like Tulsa.

I didn't see any bums when I was there three weeks ago.


Ya don't live in Oklahoma do ya? I like Tulsa too but after dark it is bum heaven.

#11 whitetino

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Posted 01 June 2008 - 12:33 PM

QUOTE (Doug @ Jun 19 2004, 08:42 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Enjoy the photos very much, Dismuke. Have driven around Tulsa so many times to and from Chicago without ever realizing what excellent architectural history survives there. Thanks for all your effort and explanations.

I had a similarly enjoyable experience in the "history rich" Cincinnati and Covington KY area. Unfortunately I was sans camera and have only memories of extrordinary buildings, churches and houses.


I really have to agree. Ive been to NYC, L.A., and Im from DFW, Growing up admiring architecture was my life.
And out of all the citys Ive studied, I never realized Tulsa (A city smaller than OKC), Had such a-
Gorgeous/Tall downtown. If you looked at both OKC and Tulsa together, You'd think Tulsa was the bigger city.
Its definitley a hidden jewel.

p.s. speaking of hidden jewels, check out Omaha. they've got a few nice highrises, as well as lots of overlooked architecture.




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