Tulsa Art Deco

I had time this week to walk through Tulsa's downtown and was amazed by the gorgeous art deco architecture. I didn't know.
Now, having read about the whole phenomena, I know that Tulsa has lost a number of it's famed buildings, but the multi-million dollar renovation on the Mayo Hotel was very impressive, and the density in the neighborhood of the courthouse was literally awe inspiring.
Tulsa and Art Deco came of age together. The young city was experiencing unprecedented growth and prosperity in the 1920's, just as the Art Deco movement came into vogue. Flush with oil money, prominent Tulsans started building and wanted the skyscrapers to be distinctive and modern. These oil barons spurred one of the preeminent Art Deco collections in the United States. I have been to New York and Miami, and I grew up in LA--Tulsa has it going on over all three. The extensive use of terra cotta, especially colorful terra cotta, and the well-preserved buildings are better than any South Beach stroll from a purely architechtural perspective.

One stand out was the Mincks-Adam Hotel. The Adams facade is widely recognized as an excellent example of glazed terra-cotta veneering. Produced by the Northwestern Terra Cotta Company, the terra cotta pastel blues and reds are still quite noticeable, and the individual tile units are sound, with tight mortar joints. The architectural style of the facade is eclectic, in the mood of the 1893 to 1917 period when architects felt free to use any and all decorative motifs as they saw fit. Its highly ornate facade is an imaginative combination of Gothic, Italian Renaissance, and Baroque decorations--and it is up and down and sideways on the exterior. Terra cotta is also used extensively in the interior of the building in the lobby, coffee shop, and stairwell.

My favorite of the tour was the little Pythian building (1931) at 5th and Boulder. It is a three-story structure that Edward W. Saunders intended to be thirteen stories high. The Great Depression intervened, and work stopped at the third floor. The building, now mostly vacant, has terra cotta tiles in the Zigzag style both inside and out. The lobby is breathtakingly well preserved and a wonderful example of keeping what is good about a place in great physical condition.