The main streets in Tulsa have city names and ivy league college names. Many of the people who came here to find oil came form the East and brought their tastes with them. I was told that in the 40’s there were trains from here to Miss Porter’s in Connecticut so that wealthy girls could travel back and forth with their horses. That may be true, but then the landscape is large and so who knows about the stories people tell about the times before you arrived.
There truly is something different about this part of the country. It appears open to new comers, and in fact new residents are courted by the establishment to join community organizations. In a large city on the East coast, getting on the Board of a museum or orchestra can rely on your lineage, but not here. Both my husband and I have been asked to serve on Boards that interest us from the arts, from professional to community based and private. We have had the opportunity to lobby legislators about subjects we feel strongly about, to change opinions, and get laws passed. We have met internationally traveled Oklahomans who have nothing to do with our pre-move ideas about people from the center of the country. Our friends are cosmopolitan, caring and, because they tend to remain in the area, they are there when you need them. The only time I tend to feel lonely is during our very hot summers when many leave Oklahoma to cooler climates.
So why would you come to Tulsa and what would you see and do? Tulsa sits on route 66, that legend-prone road that is celebrated in song and history. Tulsa is an Art Deco architecture center and is frequently toured by students in that field. You can find examples of this type of architecture around the city. During the 20’s Tulsans struck oil and there was a building boom. They wanted their buildings to be examples of the best modern architecture. Art Deco was very popular in Europe, having started in 1925, and it soon spread around the world and here to Tulsa. Here you will find Zigzag or 1920s style, Depression Era or PWA style, and Streamline Art Deco structures. On your tour of Tulsa look for Christ the King Church (1926) located at 16th and Quincy. It is an example of Zigzag Art Deco. It opened in 1927 and was designed by Barry Byrne of Chicago. He was apprenticed to Frank Lloyd Wright from 1902-1907. Beveled piers accent the exterior with terra cotta ornamentation made by Italian artist Alfonso Ianelli who also designed the church’s stained glass windows.
Boston Avenue Methodist Church opened in 1929 and has a line of visitors daily. It also is a classic example of Zigzag Art Deco. As some one who has visited this church and taught classes in their adult school, I can honestly predict that you will be impressed by Bruce Goff’s plan In fact this building is so important that in 1999 it was named a National Landmark.
My favorite Art Deco architecture was owned by a friend and colleague. It is the Richard Lloyd Jones 1929 home, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, which is a flat roof block and glass home. It also is on the National Register of Historic Places and our friends can attest to people driving by and knocking on the front door at all hours to see the interior and the lovely gardens and pool.
The Public Service Company building also makes use of many Zigzag art deco characteristics. With the Depression came PWA Art Deco. Roosevelt’s New Deal provided construction jobs that included government and public buildings. In Tulsa you can see the Tulsa Union Depot designed by Fredrick Kershner in 1931. This Zigzag Art Deco building was originally the rail station in Tulsa. It was refurbished by the Williams Companies and just recently it has been sold to the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame. Yes, you read that correctly. Tulsa has a long history of fantastic musicians from jazz to country, classical to ballet and opera. The PAC or Performing Art Center is a beautiful structure where you can see world-class productions. Having grown up in Philadelphia, we were concerned when we moved here, but we shouldn’t have. The professionalism and dedication of the people in the arts is profound. The arts often unite for concerts so that opera, jazz and classical music can be heard in one night. It is a city of inclusion. When you travel to Tulsa, see what’s playing around town. You won’t be disappointed.
We shop in Brookside, an older neighborhood with local shops and some of the best Art Deco architecture in Tulsa. This is called Streamline Art Deco, and many of these buildings were built in the 40’s. To tell the truth , it’s just a great neighborhood with excellent shopping and good restaurants. A walk on Peoria is a treat and you’ll meet many of us as you walk along looking for a drink, art gallery, designer clothing shop, interior decorator or a custom furniture shop.
OK, so you’re tired of architecture and want to see some art. Tulsa has world-class museums. Near your walk on Brookside is the Philbrook which sits in one of Tulsa’s finest neighborhoods. Driving these green hills you can see how oil barons lived in the 20’s. The main section of this museum is the home of Waite and Genevieve Phillips. This privately funded museum has excellent shows from around this country and the world. Its permanent exhibits include contemporary art, 19th century central European art, and African collection, an excellent American collection, a native American collection and the Renaissance and Baroque collection. The gardens include a sculpture garden and a newly renovated garden which was spectacular before this work and now is just plain wonderful. No wonder many brides take their wedding pictures there. There are yearly events that take place at the museum including the innovative Christmas Tree sale and display with gingerbread homes made by local school children. The trees are made by local professionals and draw a large crowd each year.
Before we moved to Tulsa, we knew about the Gilcrease Museum because we saw examples of posters exhibited in Virginia. Thomas Gilcrease was a member of the Creek Indian Nation and, when he found oil on his allotted government land, he moved to San Antonio and traveled extensively in Europe in the 20’s and 30’s. These trips inspired him to create his own art collection. In the 40’s he returned to Tulsa with his oil company. He collected American art, artifacts and documents. As the price of oil fell he offered to sell his collection intact. A group of people from Tulsa joined forces and helped pass a bond in 1955. The city conveyed the museum buildings and grounds (which are breath-taking) to the foundation, and Mr. Gilcrease committed oil property revenue to Tulsa to assist in the maintenance of the museum until the bond was repaid. Such is the love for this land and the enthusiasm of the early oilmen, they made Tulsa the show place it has become.
There are other museums in town. The Sherwin Miller Museum is now in a new building and has an excellent collection of Judaic exhibits. There is also the Creek Council House Museum and the J.M. Davis Arms and Historical Museum, not to mention the Air and Space museum. We here in Oklahoma have a state of the art Aquarium which is sure to please the whole family. There is a lovely zoo here in town which is situated in a large park near the airport. It is not the type of zoo that we are used to, that is with rows of cages and houses for types of animals. Here is a learning environment. As you walk into each building you learn about a different animal environment. It is true that there are lions and elephants, and monkeys, but the philosophy is different and it is a pleasure to spend time walking the winding paths.
If you have a car, you can take a ride to the Will Rogers Memorial and Birthplace in Claremore, which is a suburban town about 25 minutes from the city. When my father used to come to visit, we would wake in the morning, get in the car and explore our part of the state, and this was one of his favorite day trips. I love this place. It has exhibits that bring back this talented Oklahoman to those who are walking the museum, which thus bring history to life. Our other favorite day trip was to Bartlesville, the hometown of Phillips Petroleum and the Frank Lloyd Wright tower, which is a museum and hotel built as a prairie skyscraper in the hay day of the oil industry. Even more impressive is Woolaroc Museum, Wildlife Preserve and Historic Lodge and Native American Heritage Center. My father and I could not believe the breath of the Phillips brothers’ interests, the artifacts they collected or the beauty of the land. Farther North is the newest national park on the Great Prairie. There you can ride through the tall grass and see native bison. I find myself imagining what early travelers from the east coast thought of the landscape and animals they found, as well the weather. If you want to come here, do try to come in the fall, winter or spring. Summer can be very hot and unless you like extreme heat this is not the place for you.
Friends from the East often ask if we have restaurants here, and the answer is a resounding "Yes." If you are visiting family or friends, ask if they are members of the Summit Club which takes up the 30th to 33rd floors of the Bank America Building down town. Here Bruno and his staff attend to your every wish and you get a view that is 360 degrees. The food is as Italian as Bruno and the wait staff, made with the freshest fish and game available. The wine list is superb. On Friday and Saturday there is live music on the 33rd floor and you can sit after dinner in an easy chair and overlook the city and countryside. For an informal Italian restaurant, try Tucci’s or its sister restaurant Ciao, both in midtown. There are other wonderful restaurants here. We love Stone Horse at Utica Square, which is our favorite place to shop. This is a planned outdoor shopping area with many restaurants and stores. Saks Fifth Ave. is there as are many well known stores including our own Miss Jackson’s, an exclusive women’s store. If you drive South toward the suburbs to 71st Street you’ll find the French Hen and Flavors, both worth a trip. If you want a steak house there is Mahogany and The Consortium. When we arrived here we feared that fresh fish would be difficult to purchase but Bodean’s Fish market flies in fresh fish from both coasts and it is better than the fish we got in Richmond.
Their restaurant has this fresh fish served in delightful ways. You can’t go wrong there. There are also Sushi restaurants; our favorite is in Brookside and is called In the Raw. It’s busy, but the sushi is wonderful. They’ve recently opened a full sushi bar farther South in a restaurant on top of a hill that has a winning view of downtown. Tex Mex restaurants abound here as do Oriental and even Indian restaurants, so you will not go hungry. Lastly, if those relatives you’re visiting belong to Southern Hills, the country club you have seen in the U.S.Open, then you are indeed lucky. The clubhouse is elegant; the view of the city exceptional and the food rivals any you can find in any city in the country. I will stop here, but there are many other places your hotel can tell you about.
So come and see our oil wells and cattle, meet our people and enjoy the hospitality. You can almost forget the troubles around the world as you enjoy the unhurried environment and some the friendliest and most welcoming city residents that you’ll ever meet.
BSP
