The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture

TULSA ART DECO.

A form of artistic expression commonly associated with European modernism, the term “Art Deco” derives its name from the 1925 Exposition Internationales des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes (International Exposition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts), also known as the Paris Exhibition. The term Art Deco was applied to a variety of media within the fine and decorative arts, including painting and furniture, and became synonymous for an emphasis on innovative materials and abstract form. The significance of Tulsa Art Deco lies in the concerted attempts by architects and their clients to reject previous conventions and adopt a new architectural style that captured the essence of a rapidly modernizing city in northeastern Oklahoma.

Tulsa was well suited to embrace Art Deco–style architecture. Upon the discovery of oil at Red Fork in 1901 and the subsequent opening of the Glenn Pool field, Tulsa’s population exploded to over 141,000 people by 1930. The city’s corporate life centered on every facet of the petroleum industry. By the eve of the Great Depression approximately fifteen hundred companies associated with the industry were in Tulsa, earning it the moniker “Oil Capital of the World.”

Tulsa Art Deco evolved in three phases between the mid-1920s and the early 1940s. “Zigzag” Art Deco, which peaked in popularity in the late 1920s, derives its name from decorative displays of geometric forms and stylized motifs. Zigzag emphasizes building design with vertical massing accented by fluted pilasters and projections such as pinnacles or finials extending above the roofline. Notable examples include the Gillette-Tyrrell Building (NR 82003703), designed by Edward W. Saunders; the Philcade Building (NR 86002196), designed by Leon Senter for oilman Waite Phillips; the Boston Avenue Methodist Church (NR 78002270), designated a National Historic Landmark in 1999; and Fire Station No. 13 (NR 100005084), a Zigzag Art Deco–style building designed by Albert Joseph Love. The Richard Lloyd Jones House, also known as Westhope (NR 75001575), is a celebrated example of a Zigzag Art Deco–style private residence designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

“PWA” Art Deco, the second phase of Tulsa Art Deco, derives its name from New Deal–era, large-scale construction projects sponsored by the federal Public Works Administration (PWA). Buildings in this style are often monumental in scale and modest in adornment, reflecting the constraints on labor and materials during the Great Depression. The massive Tulsa State Fairground Pavilion, the city’s first large public auditorium, spans over ten acres and features multicolored terra cotta panels with bas-relief images of men and animals to convey the building’s function as a livestock exhibition arena. Daniel Webster High School (NR 100006632) and Will Rogers High School (NR 07000918), which were each sponsored by the PWA, feature a slight emphasis on verticality and limited decorative details while incorporating the latest principles in school building design.

“Streamline” Art Deco, the final phase of Tulsa Art Deco, spanned the 1930s and into the 1940s. Also known as Streamline Moderne, buildings of this style distinguished themselves by conveying a clean, sleek exterior (typically concrete or stucco), flat roofs, and rounded corners accented by plate glass, porcelain tile, or glass blocks. The style is often associated with service facilities outside of downtown Tulsa such as gas stations, diners, clinics, and shopping centers.

City Veterinary Hospital (NR 08000848), designed in 1942 by Joseph Koberling, Jr., is one example. Boulder-on-the-Park (NR 03000872), originally built in 1923, received some Moderne updates in 1947 when the building was modified to house KTUL Radio. Tulsa also features nearly one dozen Streamline Art Deco–style residences, including the Jesse and Frances Davis House, which was designed in 1936 by Frances Davis with assistance from a draftsman at her husband’s lumber company.

Approximately fifty architects were associated with Tulsa Art Deco. Some, such as Frank Lloyd Wright, had already achieved national acclaim. Bruce Goff, among the most celebrated architects of the mid-twentieth century, was a draftsman for the Tulsa firm Rush, Endacott and Rush, and worked on the designs of Boston Avenue Methodist Church before obtaining his license in 1930. Other notable architects include Arthur M. Atkinson, John Duncan Forsyth, and Frederick Vance Kershner. Celebrated artists such as Adah Robinson, Alfonso Iannelli, and Olinka Hrdy applied their talents and expertise through media such as sculptures and murals.

The most recent survey of Tulsa Art Deco identified over seventy-five buildings and structures associated with the period. Over one-third of these properties have been demolished or significantly modified, and several others remain threatened. Entities such as the Downtown Deco District Association, Tulsa Foundation for Architecture, and Tulsa Preservation Commission have worked to commemorate, promote, and preserve these important properties.

Matthew Pearce