Modern Tulsa

The newest place to live in downtown Tulsa, 119 Downtown, is having an open house and tour of the model apartment unit on Thursday, September 9th from 5-8pm. River City Development is the team behind 119 Downtown; River City Development is also responsible for the conversion of the Philtower to apartments. The McIntosh Group is the architectural firm doing the renovation while Pohlenz Cucine Moderne is designing all the kitchens. One thing that differentiates this project from other recent residential developments downtown is that the 119 units are for sale, not rent. Click here for some great images and renderings of the project.

Located on the northwest corner of 6th and Cincinnati, Leon B. Senter designed the building in 1949. Originally constructed as the Stanolind Building, it has also been referred to as AMOCO East, the 502 Building, the Towercade, and most commonly the Service Pipeline Building. In addition to the 119 Building, Senter also designed many other prominent Tulsa buildings, such as the Fire Alarm Building, the Philcade, the downtown YMCA, and Will Rogers High School. Although not as flamboyantly art deco as some of Senter’s early work in Tulsa (like the fire Alarm Building and Philcade), the 119 Building is an excellent example of late deco in Tulsa that also includes many mid-century modern details.

The tour on Thursday, September 9 from 5-8pm is free and open to the public. For more information and to RSVP, call 918.582.0200.

You’re invited to meet moderntulsa and browse through 60 years of Tulsa’s modern architectural history.

moderntulsa will be holding an open house and exhibit at the Tulsa Foundation for Architecture Archives on Thursday, August, 26. On display will be architectural drawings and renderings, photographs, and architectural periodicals; all highlighting Tulsa’s modern architecture.

Join us for wine, beer, hors d’oeuvres, and Tulsa’s best modern architecture on Thursday, August 26 from 5:30-8:30pm in the Kennedy Building lobby, 321 S. Boston.

Questions? Contact derek@tulsaarchitecture.com

The Tulsa Development Authority on Thursday selected Brickhugger LLC to convert the former City Hall building into a hotel with mixed retail space.

From Tulsa World, article here. – By P.J. LASSEK

Note the new street between the library and courthouse.

Brickhugger, owned by Tori and Macy Snyder, will negotiate with the authority on the sale of the site and development plans.

In March, Brickhugger offered the city $1.2 million for the site to build a 200-room hotel with mixed retail.

Omega Alpha Development also vied for the site and offered $1.1 million to build a 130-room hotel with mixed retail.

Both groups made presentations to the authority last week.

Brickhugger’s project cost is $29.5 million, which includes $23.5 million for the hotel, restaurant and conference center and $6 million for the retail development.

The project also includes opening Fifth Street from Denver Avenue to the Convention Center.

Construction is estimated to take 12 months for the hotel and restaurant and another eight months for the retail space.

See More Photos of The Tulsa Civic Center Plaza

As you may or may not know, up until now, the State of Oklahoma provides income tax credits for certified rehabilitations on investments in designated historic buildings statewide. This state credit has generated millions of dollars of reinvestement to revitalize vacant and underdeveloped buildings, generating jobs and increased tax revenues. However, the state legislature has recently put a moratorium on this tax credit via SB 1267. If this tax credit is not reinstated, it could have a huge impact on the future development of downtown Tulsa. The restoration of these historic buildings might not have been possible without the use of historic tax credits:

• The Mayo Hotel;
• The Mayo Building;
• The Philtower Lofts;
• The Atlas Courtyard by Marriott;
• The Tribune Lofts; and
• The Hotel Ambassador.

There are at least seven additional projects currently in the works in downtown Tulsa that may cease to happen due to the suspension of Historic Tax Credits. I ask that you please either write an original email or simply copy and paste the form letter below and contact Governor Brad Henry. For more information on the impact of historic tax credits, visit Preservation Oklahoma. Please feel free to forward this to a friend.

The reinstatement of these tax credits is vital to the revitalization of our downtown!

Sincerely,

Lee Anne Zeigler
Executive Director & CEO

• Governor Henry,I am writing to express my opposition to the recent suspension of the Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit, via Senate Bill 1267. I feel that a reinstatement of this credit is vital to the preservation and revitalization of not only downtown Tulsa, but to the Tulsa Community as a whole. The incentive to preserve our historic structures is imperative for many reasons. The unique architecture of Tulsa is a testament to our rich and diverse heritage. To see these buildings sitting empty strikes me as both a waste of history and resources. In an environmental context, we need to emphasize the importance of reusing and repurposing our existing resources. To let these buildings decay is a waste of man power, materials, and not to mention, architectural ingenuity and integrity. I can confidently say that a thriving downtown community is important to me. It is not only important to those of us who grew up here and continue to live here now, but also to the intellectual and creative talent from elsewhere that so many local organizations and businesses are striving to attract and retain in the Tulsa community. I urge you to reconsider the suspension of the Oklahoma Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit.

I’ve always been a huge fan of the Downtown Civic Center Plaza and found a quiet time to get some photos this past weekend. This is such a well designed facility in my opinion and it seems like such a shame to see it so underutilized. Many of these buildings are totally vacant since abandoned by the City of Tulsa.

News on 6 recently contacted me and asked to do an interview about moderntulsa. So, here I am!