TULSA ART DECO ARCHITECTURAL WALKING TOUR

Tulsa has a substantial Art Deco architectural heritage, springing from the wealth derived from the oil industry. Oil barons like Waite Phillips built new skyscrapers in the 1920s from oil monies using the then fashionable Art Deco style. The name Art Deco is derived from the French phrase “Art Decoratif”. Striking geometric shapes are one of its most defining aspects. That Art Deco style appears on city theaters, gas stations, utility company buildings, hotels and office buildings, creating a delightfully walkable downtown.

Discover the best of Tulsa’s downtown with a walking tour of the most significant buildings, with an emphasis on Art Deco. The tour takes about two hours to comfortably stroll, with time to stop into lobbies to admire the art deco features and occasional murals or stained glass gracing the interiors. Many of the ornate lobbies are open all week long, but to avoid potential disappointment, check ahead and try to visit during a work day if at all possible.

Your guide will pick you up at 2:00 p.m. from your hotel and take you to a historic starting point, the Mayo Hotel.

Tour highlights will include:

The Mayo Hotel (1925) – Built by brothers Cass and John Mayo when Tulsa was the oil capital of the world, The Mayo was modeled after the Plaza in New York City. Step in to admire the striking, spacious lobby.

Philtower (1927) – Built by oilman Waite Phillips, the Philtower was known as the Queen of the Tulsa skyline. View from a distance for the colorfully tiled and shingled roof. The beautiful interior lobby contains chandeliers and English fan vaulted ceilings representing the late Gothic Revival style embellished with Art Deco details.

Philcade Building (1931) – Geometric designs are executed in shades of red, blue, green, purple, and brown, the favored colors of Art Deco. The Art Deco Museum displays part of its collection in the windows within the Philcade’s lobby, with a nice selection of artifacts and photographs of Art Deco designs, craft and architecture.

Tulsa Union Depot (1931) – Completed in 1931, the Union Depot’s exterior reveals the Art Deco inspiration of machinery as a theme for geometric designs.

Mincks-Adams Hotel (1928) – You will be struck immediately by the wildly ornate terra cotta façade.

Round out your Tulsa experience with dinner at Juniper, a farm to table restaurant http://www.junipertulsa.com situated in the Blue Dome entertainment district, named for the roof of a 1920s-era Gulf Station, and situated on a section of old historic Route 66. The restaurant opens at 4 p.m., and your driver will comfortably deliver you there for your chosen reservation time and back to your hotel after dessert.