Tulsa Industrial Area Loaded with Mid-Century Modernism

[Ronnie Lowe]

I have a background in fine art and I just sort of automatically scout alternative exhibition spaces.  And I have noticed that the industrial area around 41st and between Sheridan and stretching past Memorial over to Garnett is a rich resource of Mid-Century Modern buildings.  Some of those buildings are quite large and have large unobstructed spaces that would be perfect for exhibiting art.  I've also noticed that given the soft market, a number of those buildings are available.  Downtown redevelopment has leapfrogged into establishment status with folks like Kaiser and Institutions like Philbrook claiming sites there.  That's good for survivability and making this decade's downtown redevelopment stick but it also is discouraging to folks looking for an alternative to the establishment.  If I were developing a contemporary art space today I would be looking at the Mid-Century Modern industrial buildings between Sheridan and Garnett. 

[heironymouspasparagus]

Even though a lot of them are empty, they still are kind of pricey.  Also, too many of them were made with short warehouse doors - need 14' high.  How can you get any kind of truck in a 10' door?  And, I guess I'm too cheap.

[Conan71]

Ronnie, look around the 31st & Yale area for more commercial clues to MCM design. The two churches on the east side of Yale between 21st & 31st, The old shopping center around 32nd & Yale and even the fire station on 31st west of Yale.

They have done somewhat of a "deco" overhaul on the facade of the strip center north of the BA on the west side of Yale.

[heironymouspasparagus]

Not exactly here in Tulsa, but interesting example of mid-century modernism.  For when one is done working for a while in the mid-century and wants to vacation in that era.


http://www.theshadydell.com/

[Conan71]

Not exactly here in Tulsa, but interesting example of mid-century modernism.  For when one is done working for a while in the mid-century and wants to vacation in that era.


http://www.theshadydell.com/

The only MCM cues I see there are the '55 Chevy truck and the inside of the 1950's trailers.  Otherwise, it's got more Art Deco elements to it.  Not that I would know anything about MCM or Art Deco. 

[heironymouspasparagus]

The only MCM cues I see there are the '55 Chevy truck and the inside of the 1950's trailers.  Otherwise, it's got more Art Deco elements to it.  Not that I would know anything about MCM or Art Deco. 

The diner.  The fiberglas cactus.  It's screamin' '50s...

My favorite is the gold anodized aluminum trailer - Airfloat Navigator - that would look good in red or cobalt blue, too.  Black not so much - to much heat.  Well, really too much with blue and red, too, but that would just look cool.

[Ronnie Lowe]

I would venture a guess that Tulsa has much more significant MCM than Deco.  Deco is a crowd pleaser though.

[heironymouspasparagus]

I would venture a guess that Tulsa has much more significant MCM than Deco.  Deco is a crowd pleaser though.

Like the Carpet City building they are messing up right now.

Wonder what happened to the sign?  Still would love to have that...just no place to put it.

[Conan71]

I would venture a guess that Tulsa has much more significant MCM than Deco these days.  Deco is a crowd pleaser though.

Fixed that for you.

Ronnie, I would love to see you get involved with the Tulsa Art Deco Museum.

Heir, the diner tips it's hat more to deco design and what I refer to as 1930's and 1940's road-side Americana.  Certainly those diners were a part of the 1950's Route 66 landscape because they still existed there, but they were built pre mid-century.

[heironymouspasparagus]

Fixed that for you.

Ronnie, I would love to see you get involved with the Tulsa Art Deco Museum.

Heir, the diner tips it's hat more to deco design and what I refer to as 1930's and 1940's road-side Americana.  Certainly those diners were a part of the 1950's Route 66 landscape because they still existed there, but they were built pre mid-century.

That particular one was built in 1957 by Valentine Manufacturing of Wichita.  Style was definitely a carry over from '30s, but it was all '50s in implementation.

Cute little history note about it there...
http://www.theshadydell.com/Dots_Diner.html