Places I'm Visiting: Tulsa

Getting back to my recent trip to the Southwest, after visiting my son in Dallas/Fort Worth, we made a fairly drastic detour to the north, to Tulsa, a drive of a little more than four hours. We arrived in the early afternoon, had a quick lunch and then took a private tour of some of Tulsa’s remarkable Art Deco architecture. It was Louis, my first college roommate, a Tulsa native, who first alerted me to the existence of structures worth looking at in Tulsa. I had never thought of Tulsa as a place likely to have much worthwhile to look at until he pointed out that Tulsa was an important center of oil development in the 1920s through the 1950s, and that that meant money. Where there is money, wealthy people seem always to try to outdo each other by building fancy buildings in the latest styles. Tulsa actually makes perfect sense as a place to look for interesting examples of buildings in the Art Deco style. 

We did a tour in the cold with Jeffrey, of Tulsa Tours. We began with a look at the Atlas Life Building, which just predates the Art Deco period. The tour begins here to provide a point of reference for the changes in style that would come soon afterward. Highlights included the clock in the lobby with a gold figure of Atlas holding up the world and the coffered ceiling in the lobby. The exterior has neo-Gothic elements and some interesting details, including another figure of Atlas above the entrance. Our guide pointed out that the unusual spaces on either side of the structure were left to ensure good air circulation in the interior spaces, which was a reaction to the deadly Spanish Flu Epidemic that had immediately preceded its construction in 1922. The office building has since been converted into a Marriott hotel.

We next looked at the Southwestern Bell Building, which immediately struck me as odd because it looks like two buildings merged into one and our guide confirmed that it was originally a two-storey building and that four floors were later added on top of the original structure. The lower part of the building is pre-Art Deco. The upper floors begin to show the emerging Art Deco Style with pronounced verticals. 

We toured the Philcade Building, an office building at the southeast corner of East 5th Street and South Boston Ave. It was designed by Leon B. Senter, for oilman Waite Phillips. Construction began in 1929. It was completed in 1931. It is noted as an outstanding example of the zig zag style of Art Deco architecture. 

The interior was pretty stunning. The photographs speak for themselves, but the guilded ceiling in the lobby and the chandeliers, made locally in Tulsa, are of particular interest. There is some attractive detailing on the exterior as well using stylized flora and fauna and Egyptian motifs. The roofline is decorated with terra cotta designs also showing Egyptian influence. The main entrances are adorned with Egyptian style columns that extend to the second floor. Above the entrances are crests with the initials "WP" (for Waite Phillips) surrounded by carved vines, fruits, and flowers. Also very impressive is some of the metalwork in the lobby near the doors. I particularly liked the windows above some of the interior doors with a design that simultaneously suggests skyscrapers and arrowheads.

The last building we looked at in the immediate downtown area was described as Tulsa’s last Art Deco style building. Today it is known as the ARCO Building (as in the Atlantic Richfield Co.) but it was built in 1949–1950 for the Service Pipeline company and some of its interior decoration subtly alludes to the pipeline business. I loved its green glazed terra cotta exterior, its richly marbled lobby, and its metal elevator doors. Floor levels inlaid into the terrazzo floors at the base of the elevator doors is a nice detail. The doorways have some fairly spectacular aluminum decoration as well.  

Moving a little away from the downtown area, we stopped at the Oklahoma Natural Gas Building, the TransOK Building, which housed Tulsa’s electric power utility, and then the Tulsa Club Building and the Pythian Building. The Pythian Building isn’t that much to look at from the outside, but the interior, while rather less fancy than the gleaming interior of the Philcade Building is impressive in its own way. The entire first floor is done in mosaics showing the influence of native American design and in colorful tile work. This was one of the highlights of the tour.

Going further afield, we visited the Tulsa Union Depot, which has some interesting exterior detailing, including stylized falcons and winged train wheels, the Tulsa Fire Alarm Building, the Warehouse Market, and finally the Boston Avenue United Methodist Church. 

The Tulsa Fire Alarm Building was a little outside of what would have been the city’s original downtown (to protect it from fire). It was built in 1931. It was the central reporting station for Tulsa’s fire department. Fires were reported from alarm boxes at various locations in the city hardwired to this building from which the fire station closest to the fire would be alerted. Designed by architect Frederick V. Kershner, it was inspired by Mayan temple design, according to Wikipedia. It features terra cotta friezes using fire-related motifs as well as dragons. Over the front door a panel shows a half-naked male figure holding alarm tape (part of the original alarm system used in the building; the tape was punched with a number corresponding to the fire alarm box making the call) flanked by two helmeted firefighters. Bolts of lightning or electricity surround him. To the sides, are images of alarm boxes and fire hoses. According to our guide, the building originally had two large art deco style lanterns flanking the front doorway, but these are now gone. At the back of the building are a number of grotesque figures up by high windows. 

The Warehouse Market is in disrepair, but it has some impressive tile work. It was originally a marketplace for farmers to gather and sell their produce. Later, as it became neglected, it appears to have been put to other uses. Notable are the tower, the elaborate tile work around the entrance, and two roundels on either side of the entrance, one personifying agriculture, the other personifying industry. 

Our final stop was to look at the exterior of the Boston Avenue United Methodist Church, which is pretty spectacular. It was built in 1929 and is considered among the most important Art Deco style buildings in the United States. It has a 225-foot tower and a semi-circular apse, which gives it something of the look of a Gothic cathedral (but without the flying buttresses). At the same time, its strong verticals, also suggestive of cathedral design, seem quintessentially Art Deco. It uses a combination of metal, terra cotta, limestone, and granite. Above the south entrance are three equestrian Circuit Riders, statues of early Methodists engaged in spreading the “Good Word.” This building seems way over the top for a religious order not known for ostentation. It’s a bit surprising that such a spectacular design was adopted, but there it is. 

By the end of the tour, which was two hours, outside much of the time, on a cold and windy January day, I was happy to get into the car again to head West, but I think the detour to Tulsa was worth it even though we missed many other buildings in the area I would like to have seen – for example, the Will Rogers High School building, where my roommate Louis went to high school. Maybe next time….

Miscellaneous: Bird sightings

Our recent trip to Texas and the Southwest was so busy that I've not had a chance to write up details or post a lot of photos, but I spent Saturday and Sunday in the woods. So, in the meantime, until I can get more posted from the trip, here are some bird and mushroom photos for your viewing pleasure.

From top to bottom: Pileated Woodpecker, Hermit Thrush, Hygrocybe sp. (possibly singer, possibly acutoconica), and a Lincoln's Sparrow.

Places I'm Visiting: Fort Worth

After a day in Dallas, I spent a day in Fort Worth, starting with a visit to the Cowgirl Museum, which turned out to be rather more interesting than I expected. When we visited, it was only partly open as it is undergoing an expansion, but on view were a section featuring riding gear used by women who participate in Escramuzza Charra, part of the charrería, or Mexican rodeo. It is a timed, competitive event in which riders (in fancy dress and riding side saddle using specially designed saddles) go through a routine of twelve or more exercises for review by a panel of judges who look at clothing, tack, and execution; there was a section looking at the cowgirls who rode in the shows of Buffalo Bill, including a great deal about Annie Oakley; and there was a display of Western-themed Hermés scarves, which noted that Hermés started as a tackle company, a fact that was new to me. Also new to me was the fact that in her retirement Annie Oakley lived at 233 Salem Ave, in Dayton, Ohio, fairly close to where I once lived.

After the museum, we went down to the Fort Worth stockyards, which is now mostly shops and restaurants, but twice a day a herd of longhorn cattle is paraded through the streets. In reality, only about 17 head of cattle were in the parade, led by cowboys on horseback, but it was interesting to see the animals and, after the parade, the area where the cattle are kept is open to the public. There is an elevated walkway that allows you to look down on the animals in the pens below. Some of the animals have a hornspan (if that’s a word) of up to 10 feet, but 6–7 feet appears to be normal. Both males and females grow horns, I was told. Apparently the horns grow quickly in the first 7-8 years of the animal’s life but then mostly they stop. 

The shops are stocked with such things as cowboy boots, cowboy hats, belts and belt buckles, cow hides, cow hide pillows, cow hide furniture, horns in various sizes, cow skulls with horns, and taxidermy of all sorts, including cattle, goats, elk, deer, foxes, coyote, and buffalo. A nice longhorn head for your wall will cost you about $2,000. A buffalo head for your den will cost you more like $8,000. 

After the stockyards, we were introduced to Fort Worth-style barbecue – brisket, pork ribs, and smoked catfish – along with such local specialties as deep-fried pickles, which are exactly what you are probably imagining them to be: sliced, deep-fried dill pickles.

Places I'm Visiting: Dallas Museum of Art

After visiting the former Texas Book Depository Building and the museum it houses on my recent trip to Dallas, I went to The Dallas Museum of Art. I had always wanted to visit. I’ve noticed many choice paintings on loan from the museum in large traveling shows at other institutions over the years, suggesting a strong collection. 

Having now seen the museum, I can confirm my impression. There are some gems. In addition to the permanent collection (which is quite broad, including some fine textiles aside from the paintings), there was an exhibition of Surrealist art on show featuring works on loan from the Tate Gallery. 

Here are some favorites, including a Jackson Pollack splatter painting. In general, I really don't care much for the these paintings, which are so highly praised. Often they just look messy to me and, while I understand the idea that they may be intended or at least interpreted after the fact as records of an action, they often strike me as simply uninteresting to look at. This one, however, I rather enjoy. I think it's the blank areas of canvas that make it more appealing. 

 

Places I'm Visiting: Dallas

Two days visiting in Dallas/Fort Worth. I heard opinions only on the Fort Worth side, but it seems people from Dallas and from Fort Worth don’t think much of each other. I get the impression that, at the very least, Fort Worth natives think Dallas is sterile, cold, and citified, whereas Fort Worth, they will tell you, still has its cowboy soul. 

We visited Dallas mostly to go to the Dallas Museum of Art, but, as it opens relatively late, at 11:00AM, we went to the Book Depository Museum, which occupies the sixth and seventh floors of what was the Texas Book Depository in November 1964 when John F. Kennedy was shot from one of its sixth-floor windows. Like many people, I’ve seen photos of the building, photos of the stretch of Elm St. the president’s motorcade was passing when the shots were fired that killed Kennedy and wounded Texas Governor John Connally, and I’ve seen photos of the “grassy knoll.” I have seen the Zapruder film, sequences isolated from the film, and stills from it. So, visiting Dealey Plaza in person, felt oddly familiar. 

The Museum mostly presents an extended series of explanatory panels. Some put Kennedy’s visit to Dallas into the context of the time. Others show what happened as the president was hit and right after. Still others look at how the world reacted to the assassination, at the investigations and re-enactments that followed, and at the forensic evidence for assigning the murder to Lee Harvey Oswald. A large model of Dealey Plaza used by the FBI and by later investigators is on display. Examples of cameras various journalists and amateur photographers used at the scene are on display.  Lee Harvey Oswald’s wedding ring is even on display.

Most moving, however, is simply being able to stand at almost exactly the spot on the sixth floor from which the sniper fired. From there, you can look down and to the right and see the X etched in the pavement on Elm St. showing the approximate point at which the fatal bullet struck. 

Having seen the path of the motorcade from the perspective of the sniper, one thing seemed odd to me. The motorcade made a right turn off Main St. onto Houston St., pointing right at the corner of the Book Depository Building from which Oswald fired. It then made a left turn onto Elm St., passing in front of the Book Depository Building, moving away from the sixth floor corner window, off to the shooter’s right. I don’t understand why he waited. He would appear to have had a closer, easier shot just as the motorcade slowed before making its left turn onto Elm St. We will never know what Oswald was thinking, but, had it been me, I would have fired at that – most vulnerable – moment rather than waiting for the car carrying the president to start moving away toward the triple underpass beyond the Grassy Knoll. 

After seeing the museum, we walked down to look at the X on Elm St. from the Grassy Knoll and at the place nearby Mr.  Zapruder was standing as he filmed the progress of the motorcade and, inadvertently, the assassination. Judging from the historical photographs, the place has changed very little since November 22, 1963, the day the president died. 

November 22, 1963 is the first day in my own life that I have a memory of. I was going on four years old. My mother and I were returning from grocery stopping. As we approached the short flight of steps up to the main doors of our Brooklyn apartment building, a neighbor came out and said something to my mother who then took me inside and rushed me down the hallway leading to our apartment door at the far end of the hallway. Inside the apartment, my mother kneeled down on the rug in front of the television, still holding a paper bag of groceries, and turned on the set – something she never did; my mother was largely indifferent to television; in later years, she didn’t even own a television. Having been a small child, I didn’t at the time understand what had happened, but I remember the day and the name Lee Harvey Oswald being spoken over and over again for days. Visiting the museum and the location of the assassination was a quintessentially touristy thing to do, but it was worth doing once.

Places I'm Visiting: Dallas and the Southwest

On the spur of the moment, my wife and I decided to visit my son, who is currently living near Dallas, Texas, having been drawn to that location by his enrollment in the music school at University of North Texas. I’ve never really been to Texas before. I spent a day in Galveston once on a business trip. I once drove east out of Houston on a road trip that ended in Savannah, Geogia. I’ve mostly passed through Texas rather than visited Texas.

My first college roommate was a Tulsa, Oklahoma native. Both Texas and Oklahoma – about as far as you can get from the two coasts of the US, where I have spent most of my time in the US – seem a bit exotic to me. My impressions of this part of the world have been created by news clips, by movies and television shows, and by stories I’ve heard – not especially reliable sources. 

We set out from San Francisco on a flight to Dallas/Ft. Worth. I happily gazed out the airplane window as we crossed from California into Nevada then over bits of Utah, Colorado, Kansas, and Oklahoma. 

I’m one of those who is perfectly happy with my nose against the window for an entire flight. I don’t understand people who seat themselves, pull down the window shades, and completely ignore everything outside. I enjoy watching the changes in the terrain. I enjoy seeing the lakes with one flat side that gives away that they’re manmade, created by a dam. I enjoy tracing the courses of rivers and the canyons they cut. 

I particularly like seeing oxbow lakes or finding sharp turns in rivers that allow me to imagine how an oxbow lake will form in the future. Flat desert areas. Snow-dusted mountains. Circular patches of green created by irrigation booms that rotate around a central pivot. Dense developments of houses that seem too large – much too large for the tiny plots of land they’ve been built on, set close side by side. 

As we approached Dallas, we flew over Dallas Love Field, the airport that served Dallas and Fort Worth until the airport in use today took over that role.  On the ground in Dallas, I watched airplanes landing and taking off as we taxied to our gate – those leaving the airport disappearing into a low layer of light clouds.