The Deco District

[Conan71]

Conan...

You gotta remember I'm in cahoots with William on this 

[Red Arrow]

There's a name: Cahoots

Where are you?  I'm in Cahoots.

[waterboy]

wicked funny.

Note: I mean the Jesus Christ district. Pretty close to accurate too!

[Hoss]

There's a name: Cahoots

Where are you?  I'm in Cahoots.

Already been done once.  For the love of Jesus Christ, be original!

[Renaissance]

Please, Floyd, enlighten me. In the 1920s and 30s, Tulsa was the 3rd most densely populated city in the nation, and its population grew faster than any other city in the nation at the time. It was already well-known for its stunning architecture and beauty, and was (at the time) one of the most progressive cities in the nation. Albuquerque, Amarillo, Boise and Paducah can't exactly claim those things.

Back to the point: What are the icons in this yet-to-be-named district? There's much more to it than a smattering of art deco buildings.

First example that came to mind was Wichita.  So I googled Wichita.  This is what I found.

http://www.city-data.com/us-cities/The-Midwest/Wichita-History.html

Wichita's population steadily increased in the twentieth century, and new forms of wealth and business opportunity emerged. A major oil deposit discovered in Butler County in 1915 earned the nickname "door-step pool" because of its proximity to the city limits. Wichita's first airplane was manufactured the following year, and during the 1920s the city became known as the "Air Capital of America" in recognition of the number of airplane factories located there. By 1929 Wichita produced a quarter of all commercial aircraft in the United States. The aviation industry played an increased role in the city during World War II, and even more so after the establishment of McConnell Air Force Base in 1951. Beech Aircraft Corp. and Learjet Inc. were founded in Wichita, and such heavy-weights as the Boeing Co., Bombardier Inc., Cessna Aircraft Co., and Raytheon Co. established major facilities in the city. The population explosion that grew from the aviation industry attracted other types of companies. Two big names in the fast-food industry—Pizza Hut Inc. and White Castle System Inc.—were both founded in Wichita. By the turn of the century the city was headquarters for the Coleman Co. and Koch Industries Inc.

My point is, you can tell a story about the economic foundations, boom and bust, etc. for every city in the United States.  Every city has a unique story, but guess what?  No one chooses a restaurant based on it.

Just call it the Deco District and move on with life.  Better than CBD.

[waterboy]

I just don't get this. Paseo in OKC is based on the remains of a depression era Spanish shopping district that was distinct and period. Their canal is a distinct landmark as well as their river and Murrah Memorial. Which is different from their other downtown buildings. Blue Dome is based on a distinct building among a field of warehouses and empty fields. Brady is based on a distinct building, The Old Lady on Brady, and a period style of building nearby (not Deco).

Downtown is a hodgepodge of styles and periods with the only stand outs being the Mayo, the Philtower the BOK and Churches. All different styles. What happened to Cathedral District? Why not Mayo District? Magic Empire has a historic ring to it too. Original Tulsa District.

Each of those is as meaningful as Deco district.

[TheArtist]

  It shall be the Deco District.  I have spoken.  Next topic. 

[Red Arrow]

Already been done once.  For the love of Jesus Christ, be original!

I must have been asleep that week.

[PonderInc]

Downtown is a hodgepodge of styles and periods with the only stand outs being the Mayo, the Philtower the BOK and Churches.

Waterboy, I typically agree with you, but you need to get downtown more often...

Really?  These are the only standouts?  I think there are many standouts.  Not all of them are Art Deco, but people drawn to deco will appreciate all the other gorgeous buildings downtown (like the non-deco Adams Hotel, Philtower, South Boston Bldg, Atlas Life Bldg, etc).

So, what are the Deco buildings downtown? 

Boston Ave Church (12th and Boston)
The Pytheon Building (aka Gillete Tyrell - 5th and Boulder)
Philcade (5th and Boston)
ONG Building (7th and Boston)
Public Service of Oklahoma Building (6th and Main)
Southwestern Bell Building (5th and Detroit)
Tulsa Club - (5th and Cincinnati)
Mayo Moter Inn -(5th and Cheyenne)
Warehouse Market (9th and Elgin)
Union Depot (1st and Boston)

Thre are others quite nearby, that any tour would include like the Fire Alarm Building , etc.  Downtown could be the place to start, at the Decopolis, of course! First the walking tour of downtown, with a podcast on your ipod.  Then you'd embark on your driving tour of homes and other landmarks outside of the IDL...

[waterboy]

You're right about that. I shouldn't have said "only" standouts. Its quite true that those are interesting buildings and I love their style. However, the four buildings that seem to stand out to me are the taller buildings or the ones with undeniable character and history. From a marketing standpoint, which I share with Conan, that is what names an area. Two other stand outs are the Arena and the Atlas Building.

Most of my memories from childhood through young adulthood are intertwined with downtown. Until Southland opened in the late 60's it was THE place to be. I remember the Christmas parades as a child standing in front of Crown Drug watching all the downtown shoppers. One time a WWII tank rumbled along the parade! My grandparents lived in old apartments downtown. I rode the bus down 6th street every day to attend high school at a remarkable old building that PSO now occupies and even worked my first job in the Cities building. It spans many years and many time zones of life. Seems a shame to limit its district status to one period of art. I like the idea of promoting its Deco heritage but its personality is more than that. Probably most of those buildings were the result of the oil industry.

Is the old CHS really Deco? It was built circa 1917 and I don't remember much Deco in its interior. Although many buildings used some deco elements because of the time period I never thought of Central that way. Now Rogers is a great example.

[TheArtist]

 Ponder actually left out a number of the smaller deco buildings in downtown like this little gem. 



And Waterboy was right in that during the time they "mixed and matched" a lot.  Such that many of the buildings that werent deco per say, did remodel their interiors to have a deco influences.  For instance the Mayo as I mentioned earlier. 

Mayo Marine Grill


And even today the Mayo has some Deco Style thrown in its lobby and restaurant. Others could do similarly.

The lobby of the Sinclair building is another I can think of right off.  Then imagine all those shop windows back in the day, in buildings deco or not, with their fashionable deco window displays.

To me I like to think of the Deco District not just being strictly about one particular architectural style, but the time period itself.

Deco District can evoke the times (20s through the 50s), not just one style.

I go back to the MGM Studios "Main Street" that I love visiting.  Not all the buildings are strictly art deco, there are a lot of Italianate type buildings thrown in as well. Red tile roofs, streamline gas stations, vintage cars, hollywood movie posters, people dressed up in period costumes, palm trees, jazz music playing, etc.  The art deco works best when it is wrapped in the trappings of the era. All of that stuff from the street lights we have now to the Philtower and Atlas Life help compliment and evoke the Deco District. Its all part and parcel with Decos natural context. The time period itself. The name Deco District gives me that feeling. 

I really get what others are saying about "Oil Capital District"  etc.  but ya know, its just not as catchy, it doesnt really paint as lively and "cool" a picture as "Deco District" can and all the stuff that goes along with the time, including the oil booms.   Many people dont know the history of Tulsa or have as deep a connection with it as some of us old time natives do.  It doesnt resonate like it used to.  People still know deco and the cliches of the era, flappers, knickers and zoot suits, gangsters, Empire State Building, Zeppelins, jazz music, vintage b&w Hollywood Movies, etc. Ya catch their attention better imo with the Deco Distict moniker and once you have done that, then fill them in a little bit on Tulsas interesting history.   

[Conan71]

"Deco District can evoke the times (20s through the 50s), not just one style."

And along those lines, William, Art Deco was a celebration of Tulsa's prosperity from the oil business.  I think "Deco District" is visually descriptive of something people would be drawn to.  "Magic Empire" really wouldn't evoke any more of a visual image for me than "Oil Capital District".  There are names for areas which evoke either a vibe or some sort of visual image.  Deep Ellum in Dallas or Power & Light in KC are more vibe names.  Times Square or French Quarter reflect a visual image as well as somewhat of a vibe.

To put another of William's points in a more succinct fashion: not that millions will flock here to see our surviving Art Deco style, but some of the other names suggested are too much of an "insider story" to those of us who have been here all along for outsiders to really get.  "Deco" is more universally understood.

[dsjeffries]

"Deco" may be more universally understood, but let's use the other districts you posted as examples. What exactly is a "Deep Ellum" or a "Power and Light?" Those terms are a little mystifying for outsiders, too. (Granted, because I have been to KC many times and have family there, I know the story behind "Power and Light", but if you don't have that familial connection, how would you know?)

And look, I'm not advocating for "Oil Capitol District". I think both names are lackluster.

One more thing everyone seems to keep forgetting: this isn't an everything-within-the-IDL district. It's a small area. So let's look at the boundaries of the district, shall we?



How many of the art deco buildings listed are actually within that defined, 15 block area that constitutes this district?
Boston Ave Church (12th and Boston)
The Pythian Building (aka Gillette-Tyrrell - 5th and Boulder)
Philcade (5th and Boston)
ONG Building (7th and Boston)
Public Service of Oklahoma Building (6th and Main)
Southwestern Bell Building (5th and Detroit)
Tulsa Club - (5th and Cincinnati)
Mayo Moter Inn -(5th and Cheyenne)
Warehouse Market (9th and Elgin)
Union Depot (1st and Boston)

Not even William's building at 211 S. Cheyenne (Building 211 in the DOWNTOWN TULSA INTENSIVE-LEVEL HISTORIC RESOURCES SURVEY conducted by Cathy Ambler and Rosin Preservation, LLC) is included in the area (http://www.tulsapreservationcommission.org/pdf/surveydttulsa.pdf).




So that leaves four art deco buildings in this 15-block district. Four out of 72 buildings. That's 5.55%. That hardly makes a district art deco.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again now: I like the name Deco District. If we truly had an art deco district, an area filled with art deco buildings, I'd be all for it. This just isn't such a district.

[SXSW]

dsjeffries makes a good point.  I like the name Deco District but really how accurate is it?  I also wish there was a concentrated area of Art Deco but it's spread throughout downtown and adjacent neighborhoods.  How many office/business districts have names anyway?  It's all downtown to me.

[TheArtist]

  That map is for the legal/historic preservation side of things.   When I hear Deco District my mind automatically includes the other deco stuff in the nearby area.  The area in the map is still the center, the heart of downtown but when your there, your not going to know the exact legal lines of the historic district, (oh that one across the street you see there, that one doesnt count, nor does the big churchey thing at the end of Boston Ave ;-p ) you just know your in the center of downtown. Oh, and there are at least one or two more deco buildings right on Boston Ave. There is a little one shoved in just south of the Philcade for instance. You might miss it, but its there.  Then there is the newer building that has the art deco frieze on it, and what about the one with the Arbys in it?  I have not done the research on it to pin down whether its deco or not.  But it really has some deco elements for sure.  Nelsons Buffeteria, deco imo, the sign is definitely a visible landmark and is surely art deco.    


Did you go to the opening gig for the Atlas Life Hotel?  They threw in a touch of deco decor, some folks in period costume, a car outside, and voila it made you feel like you had stepped back in time to the... deco era.  It felt "Deco District" and it wasnt a deco building (though the bronze atlas on the back wall definitely has a deco feel to it).  There will be other events in the Deco District. The DECOPOLIS downtown tours when we make them a reality, won't just focus on deco, but the other great historic buildings like the Mayo, Atlas Life, Philtower, etc.  and we are going to have the tour guides be in period costume. Deco Ball will be in the area.  Hopefully the Tulsa Art Deco Museum will get its start in the area.  There may be some other deco related events in the Deco District as well "  stay tuned ;-)  ".

 You could almost imagine the area being called the "Jazz Age District" lol, but that definitely doesn't trip off the tongue very well.  

 One can indeed make a good logical argument against Deco District, but if you get in the spirit of the idea, you can see how it could really work. Plus, whats gonna happen is gonna happen, we can help it a long or not. Course I am a bit biased.  Heck if I had really had my way, I would take what is called the "East End" I would build block after block of Art Deco buildings and turn that into a Deco District lol. Or zone it to be that way. Take what we have, what we are known for, what is loved and enjoyed, and keep adding to it.  

  Miami was really really close to tearing down that strip along the beach.  It took a lot of convincing to save that little run down strip and the scattered deco buildings here and there. Now that strip and all the deco stuff thats been added up and down the coast is one of the defining characteristics of Miami, its signature.  Our deco is very different from theirs and we have the Oil Boom story to go right along with it. And those are good things imo.