Before I start this entry I wanted to call out that Tulsa has a program that offers remote workers $10,000 to move there and work from home. After hearing my take on the city you know your gonna wanna get in on this deal 😉
Let’s start with the basics first. This is sign for Tulsa you see at city hall:
It also appears in the sewer drains:
as well as the trash receptacles:
Main features of the sign include:
- 1898, the year when Tulsa was incorporated
- arrowhead that points to our Native American founding
- 46 Stars: Oklahoma’s position as the 46th state admitted to the Union
- Oil Derrick on the Lower left Black Field: Represents the city’s status as Oil Capital of the World during the 20th century.
So the sign is actually one of 4 flags Tulsa has adopted over the years and as of 2018 there is already a newer design:
Despite the new design gaining cultural acceptance city hall refuses to update the municipal properties. Below is examples of clever concoctions of the new flag design:
Let’s jump now to buildings…
Looking at the Tulsa skyline, the tallest is the Bok Building. Built in 1976, it was by the same architects who designed the WTC
About one block north you will find a pedestrian overpass leading up to this quirky attraction. If you recall when I visited Wallace, Idaho I thought the center of the universe was there but apparently I was wrong! it’s actually here in Tulsa. At least here you do not have to worry about getting run over by cars while taking a selfie with it. As an added bonus it offers an acoustic phenomenon in that if you make a noise, that noise is echoed back. There is a similar thing like this that exists right outside Lake George, NY.
If this wasn’t already fascinating, there is an adjacent sculpture of a cloud sitting on a pole. “Artificial Cloud” as its named by Native American artist Robert Haozous.
Also in this area is the union depot built in 1931. It was built to serve the Frisco, Katy, and Santa Fe railroad lines. It has been restored and for a short time was home to the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame due to bankruptcy recently 😢
At least historical performance venues remained intact.
Below you have the Tulsa Theater built in 1914. It started as a convention hall but faced its darkest hour in 1921 when it was used as a detention center during the Tulsa Race Massacre.
Notice the street name it is on? It is Reconciliation Way. Now this was not the original name, it is in fact a renaming from Brady St who’s namesake was controversial figure Tate Brady. He was celebrated as an entrepreneur, politician and early booster of Tulsa but had an affiliation with the Ku Klux Klan.
Heck even venue used to be called Brady Theater and also had to undergo a name change to Tulsa theater. Therefore you can say that the neon Tulsa sign is not vintage but actually new.
Another storied establishment is Cain’s Ballroom. It was originally built in 1924 as a garage for Tate Brady. It was transformed into a ballroom in 1930 and dubbed Cain’s Dance Academy. Today it is a hot concert venue where over the years hosted musical acts like the Talking Heads, INXS, the Pretenders, Bob Dylan, the Police and the Sex Pistols.
Sid Vicious allegedly punched a hole in the wall when The Sex Pistols played there in 1978. Today its framed and located at the main office of the venue.
While you are in this district I recommend you check out IDA Red for souvenirs. But notice the original exterior floor tile, it bears the name Robinson Packer co, an oil company from the boom times.
Another spectacle is the Woody Guthrie Center which celebrates the art and life of Oklahoma native son Woody Guthrie best known for the song “This Land is Your Land.”
I now enter a district of Tulsa many are familiar with: Greenwood colloquially referred to as Black Wall Street. This neighborhood experienced a tragedy twice in its history, not only the 1921 massacre but the aftereffects of urban renewal in the 1960s. In particular the construction of Interstate 244 which cleaved through the rebuilt community. The mural below is by Kansas City artist Daniel Scribe Ross and you could find an explanation here of all the images inside each of the letters:
One of the sole remaining structures from that era is the Vernon A.M.E. Church
A neighborhood in Tulsa you might find yourself is the Blue Dome district. It is a beloved arts and entertainment district named after a 1924 service station originally along Route 66 before Route 66 was moved further south.
You will always know you are within this district when you see the circular signposts with the neighborhood name as well as the lamplights with the characteristic blue cone design.
Moving along South from the BOK Tower you will come across the Williams Green a park characterized by a 12-foot bronze globe surrounded by four life-size bronze statues dedicated by the Rotary club. Strangely the park is actually the roof of an underground parking garage.
Below is some notable buildings of the business district:
Mid Continent Tower/Cosden building built in 1918 was named after Josh Cosden, a Maryland-born drugstore clerk-turned oil man. By 1913, he had built one of the largest oil refineries of its time in west Tulsa. Next, he built a pipeline company and an oil and gas company and then combined all three into Cosden and Company, incorporated in 1917.
National Bank of Tulsa Building built in 1917 remained the tallest building in Tulsa until 1967. The cupola on top was illuminated by floodlights whose color changed according to the latest weather forecast. Green light meant a fair weather forecast, while red lights signified an approaching storm
Now we approach the deco district which has its own charms. Here you can find the city’s most robust collection of Art Deco buildings
Further South you have the First Presbyterian Church. Founded in 1885, it was the very first organized Church in the city
Another structure is the First Christian Church
Due to these two amongst four other historical churches, the area was designated as the cathedral district of Tulsa.
Below you have the fourth-largest free-standing statue in the U.S. at 76 feet, the beloved Golden Driller. So high that he rests his gloved right hand on a real Oklahoma oil derrick. The statue had been located in front of the Tulsa Expo Center since 1966. Erected temporarily for a petroleum expo but has since grown into an Oklahoma landmark.
One part of Tulsa everyone will tell you to visit is the Gathering Place a 64-acre park situated along the Arkansas River designed by Mr. Van Valkenburgh famous for Brooklyn Bridge Park. It is billed as one of the largest and most ambitious public parks ever created with private funds the benefactor being George B. Kaiser billionaire oilman and chairman of the BOK Financial Corp.
Lastly I will leave you with the foodie recommendations:
Coffee:
- 918 Coffee
- Topeca Coffee
- Gypsy Coffee House
- Foolish Things Coffee Co
Dining:
- Andolini’s Pizzeria Sliced (Blue Dome)
- Lone Wolf Bahn Mi
- The Big Biscuit (Broken Arrow)
- Mondo’s (Brookside)
- Evelyn’s Soul Food & Fried Chicken: literally inside a hangar connected to Tulsa International Airport lies the most scrumptious soul food establishment. Its the second location of Wanda J’s, a famous spot within Greenwood. What I ordered was the liver and onions with sides of collard greens and home potatoes.
Microbreweries:
- Renaissance Brewing Co
- Cabin Boys Brewery
- Dead Armadillo Craft Brewing
