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PrintUniqueness in the IDL
What you might not know about downtown Tulsa.
34
Total mileage of streets in Tulsa’s 1.4-square-mile downtown bordered by the Inner Dispersal Loop and Interstate 244 on the north and west, Highway 75 on the east and the Broken Arrow Expressway on the south.
3
Different types of art deco — Zig Zag, PWA and Streamline — that can be viewed in downtown Tulsa, home to one of the largest concentrations of art deco architecture in the country.
Zig Zag, the earliest art deco style, is featured on the Philcade Building (1930), located at Fifth Street and Boston Avenue, designed by Leon B. Senter. PWA (Public Works Administration) deco can be seen on the Tulsa Union Depot (1931), now the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame, located at 3 S. Boston Ave. and designed by Frederick Kershner. Streamline deco can be viewed on the Mayo Motor Inn (1950), located at 416 S. Cheyenne Ave., also designed by Senter. Take a walking tour of downtown Tulsa with this helpful guide, provided by the Tulsa Historical Society: www.tulsahistory.org/events/deco_tours.htm.
5
Number of entertainment districts riders can visit on the T-Town Trolley, a privately owned trolley service providing free transportation to the citizens of Tulsa since March 2008. The trolley rolls to the 18th and Boston area, downtown Tulsa, the Brady District, Brookside and Cherry Street.
Tokens to ride can be redeemed at one of the bars or restaurants along the trolley route. Follow T-Town Trolley on Facebook at T-Town Trolley or call 949-5667. T-Town Trolley is owned by Blake Lund.
30
Diameter, in inches, of the worn concrete circle surrounded by a 13-row brick circle that makes up the Center of the Universe. Located in the center of Boston Avenue Pedestrian Bridge, west of the Union Depot, joining Archer and First streets, the Center of the Universe is an acoustic anomaly. If you stand on the brick circle opposite from someone else, you hear his or her echo but not your own. If you stand in the center of the circle and talk, you will hear yourself echo, but others will not hear any echo.
72.5
Height, in feet, of Tulsa’s “Artificial Cloud,” created by Native American artist Robert Haozous in 1991. The abstract public sculpture is located just south of the Center of the Universe on the Boston Avenue Pedestrian Bridge and is a symbol of hope for a better future but also a statement of man’s destructiveness. The piece is made of mild steel and meant to corrode, depending on the level of pollutants in the environment, Haozous said in an interview during the piece’s installation in 1992. “It’s the responsibility of the artist not just to make pretty things but to hold up a mirror to society, to show us who we are,” he said.
470
Number of songs Bob Wills wrote during his career, including “Take Me Back to Tulsa.” Wills made his debut at Cain’s Ballroom in the downtown Brady District on New Year’s Eve in 1935 and it soon became known as the home of Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys. Cain’s is also one of only two still-surviving venues from the Sex Pistols’ infamous 1978 USA Tour, of which there were only seven U.S. venues. Follow Tulsa’s arts and entertainment scene on Facebook at The Brady Arts District page.
912,000
Number of pounds of the BOK Center’s glass-paneled “icon” wall. Constructed by American Glass & Metal of Tulsa, the wall features 66 metal halide lamps that can display 1,000 different colors. Casey Sparks, BOK marketing director, says the icon wall is becoming synonymous with Tulsa. People outside Tulsa might not know the name of the building, but they are beginning to recognize it and say, “Oh, that’s Tulsa.” April is a big month for concerts at the BOK: Tim McGraw (April 8), Bon Jovi (April 13) and Nickelback (April 24). Find out more at www.bokcenter.com.
35
Number of lofts in the historic Tribune Building, which industrialist and philanthropist Charles Page built in 1924 in Tulsa’s original business district at East Archer and North Main streets. The Tribune Building was the first building in Oklahoma designed and built as a newspaper plant, housing the Tulsa Tribune until 1942. It was Oklahoma’s largest and most modern newspaper facility at the time and introduced the gravity system to Oklahoma. Under this system, the preparation of the daily paper began on the sixth floor and progressed through pressrooms and offices on the lower floors until it reached the printing presses on the first floor. The lofts have been occupied by a moving and storage company and housed a shelter for homeless men. In 1999, American Residential Group purchased the building and converted the space to stylish, modern living quarters, The Tribune Lofts, while preserving the charm and character of the 1920s. See photos at www.tribunelofts.com.
