A Lesson on Tulsa Art Deco

So yesterday I spent the day away from the studio. Among the errands, I made time in the day to visit the Tulsa Historical Society.  Having just completed the painting of The Brook, I especially wanted to see their exhibit of Tulsa's old theaters like the Ritz and the Orpheum.  On display are some of the statues from these grand theaters.  You will not believe that Tulsa once had such spectacular venues!  Of particular interest to me were the historical photos of downtown Tulsa during the early decades of the 20th Century.  Many old aerial photos are fun to study to try to get ones bearings based on structures still standing today.  To see the steel framework of the 320 South Boston building was really cool.

There's also an exhibit of the history of Zebco Fishing Reel business - okay so secretly that didn't really interest me, but how it came from the "Zero Bomb" company who built explosives for oil well fracturing into a revolutionary fishing reel business is actually pretty remarkable as were the photos of who manufactured these reels.

Currently on display too is a narrated exhibit of Sidenbach's Clothing Business.  Lots of vintage women's suits, gowns, shoes, hats, and other paraphernalia along with the history of how the Sidenbach's came to Tulsa, photos of the couple and just a brief lesson in what life was like in downtown way back then.  Very different.

Little did I know what a treasure I carried away from my visit in the form of a newspaper called the "Tulsa Days A History of Success" printed by the Tulsa World.  Inside is a two page article entitled "Tulsa Art Deco".  It's a lesson on how Tulsa ended up with so much Art Deco, what Art Deco is and a definition of some of its distinct styles and how they developed.  Here are some excerpts from the article:

"When oil was discovered just to the west and south of Tulsa, common men quickly turned into wealthy oil tycoons...Tulsa began building the 'Oil Capital of the World'.  They were determined to prove to everyone that Tulsa had class and culture.  They wanted what was most modern, what was tallest and what reflected speed and motion...that vision succeeded in making Tulsa one of America's top five showcase cities for Art Deco architecture."

So just when did "Art Deco" architecture develop?  Between the two World Wars.  "The design characteristics were influenced by the culture at the time: the Jazz Age, the Roaring 20s, Prohibition, suffragettes and gangsters.  Design elements were borrowed from popular art and contemporary events like the opening of King Tut's Tomb...'Art Deco' was coined later, in the 1960s and was derived from the 1923 Exposition of the Decorative Arts in Paris."

Three Art Deco styles include Zigzag, PWA and Streamline.  Zigzag emphasizes "repeated symbols and shapes, vertical lines, natural elements portrayed in bas-relief and consistent decoration on everything inside and out."  Some examples of Zigzag in Tulsa include Boston Avenue Church, Philcade and the PSO Building.

PWA stands for Public Works Administration.  Following the "Stock Market Crash of the 1920s and the ensuing Depression" buildings with elaborate design elements were a thing of the past.  Emphasis now was on simpler, horizontal lines.  Many public buildings were constructed by workers during the Depression.  Examples of these structures include the Fairgrounds Pavilion, Union Bus Depot and Will Rogers High School.

"As the Depression continued, Art Deco became more and more simplistic and design elements were flattened.  Buildings had concrete walls, curved facades and utilized glass bricks...construction methods allowed more design flexibility as corners were no longer load bearing...other changes during this time was urban sprawl and design based on the new dependence on the automobile.  Signage and standardized design became important to help patrons identify businesses."  Examples of this style include some of my paintings, Phoenix Cleaners, The Brook and City Veterinary Hospital.


With this information in hand, I determined to visit a specific example of PWA architecture...I'm embarrassed to say for the first time ever.  Will Rogers High School.  I have a fairly strong visual memory.  So, when I meandered my way over to the 3900 block of 5th Place through an old neighborhood, nothing looked familiar.  And then out of the clearing arose this incredible structure.  As I drove closer there was a stillness and quiet.  Class was in session in the middle of the afternoon, but no one bothered me as I pulled into the circle drive to take photos.  Just me and the building.  I asked myself, how could I have lived here so long and never seen this beautiful building?  I thought how fortunate those teachers and students are to learn in such an inspiring place.  Watch for it to be included in the series.

Why not take a Saturday afternoon soon and visit this most interesting place located in the historic Travis Home on Peoria: the Tulsa Historical Society.  You won't be sorry.  Oh, and by the way, you can also make an appointment to view their thousands of historical photos in the archives.