Boston Avenue Methodist Church in Tulsa Oklahoma. One of the few examples of Art Deco religious architecture in the world. It’s unique and quite impressive to see in person. I don’t know if they still do but they used to offer tours of the building on Sunday afternoons.
One of the biggest reasons I love Tulsa so much. The Art Deco architecture is gorgeous and I love that the city has embraced it and protected it as part of the culture.
Crazy to think what Tulsa would be now if the Tulsa Race Massacre and the Oil Slump hadn’t happened.
For those that don’t know, Tulsa was essentially the Oil Capital of the world from the 20s to the 60s. The city was growing incredibly fast and was pulling in money from all over the world.
Black Wall Street was the richest Black community in the world until the Tulsa Race Massacre in 1921.
In the 40s and 50s, Tulsa was the wealthiest city in the world on a per-capita basis. In the 1966, the IPE (International Petroleum Expo) reached its peak. Then, right as the Oil Slump was starting, Houston capitalized by host the Offshore Technology Conference which drew the industry toward Houston. If the Oil Slump in the 70s hadn’t happened, Tulsa would’ve likely seen Houston levels of growth throughout the 70s, 80s, and 90s. Then, even the shale revolution may not have pulled Energy’s capital from Oklahoma to Texas.
Anyway, we’re doing fine. But Tulsa has a rich history that just kind of came to a standstill for 40 years thanks to the Oil Slump and State leadership refusing to put meaningful resources into economic diversification.
The art scene is definitely underrated. We don’t come through there very often but when we do the the Philbrook is one of our favorite stops.
The Philbrook is great, and there are a couple smaller, local galleries that are really great too.
The Gilcrease, Aha, Woody Guthrie Center, Sherwin Miller, Greenwood Rising, and the Discovery Lab are solid.
Lovetts and MA Doran are great showcases.