The Tulsa Forum by TulsaNow

I suppose not really development but still nice to see the property back in Tulsa hands (previously owned by Barbara Tyson of the Tyson chicken family - I didn't even know any of them lived here):

from Tulsa World
Westhope, a Tulsa home designed in the late 1920s by acclaimed architect Frank Lloyd Wright, has a new owner.

Local commercial real estate developer Stuart Price recently bought the unique block and glass home, 3704 S. Birmingham Ave., from Bat, LLC, an Arkansas limited liability company, for $2.5 million, Tulsa County land records show.

Attempts to reach Bat, LLC, Manager Harry “Chuck” Erwin III were not immediately successful. A recent owner of the residence was Barbara Tyson, a member of the family that founded Tyson Foods Inc. in Springdale, Arkansas.

Price, through a text message, declined to comment.

He is chair of Price Family Properties, which has used a work-live-play philosophy to help revitalize the commercial and multifamily properties it owns downtown.

PFP, according to the company website, manages more than 2 million square feet of commercial office space, most of it acquired several years ago from San Francisco inventor and philanthropist Maurice Kanbar.

Built in 1929, Westhope was designed for the family of Wright cousin Richard Lloyd Jones, publisher of the Tulsa Tribune. The afternoon newspaper folded in 1992.

The two-story house has 10,405 livable square feet and five-plus bathrooms, according to county property records.

Following Jones’ death in 1963, his family sold the home to architect M. Murray McCune, who succeeded in having the property listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. He also updated the kitchen and installed air conditioning, concealing the vents with grills made using Wright’s original patterns.

Westhope is among three Wright-designed buildings in Oklahoma. The others are Price Tower and the Harold Price Jr. house, both in Bartlesville.

I love this house, curious if this will be their primary residence.  I’m a FLW fan and have traveled around the country seeing his most famous works like Taliesen West, Fallingwater and Robie House.  Obviously Fallingwater is one of the most famous and unique houses in the U.S. and Taliesen West is also very unique.  But I would put Robie House and Westhope in the same league yet Robie House is 10x more well-known.  The suburban Chicago location and influence on the Prairie School movement are likely part of that.

Found a great aerial pic of the pickle factory around 1930-31 which really shows just how big the complex is.

(https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/tulsaworld.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/f/43/f43a4fcb-d58e-5a85-91ab-2102f3e02207/5d32050791a42.image.jpg?resize=1200%2C790)

Pickle Factory?

When it was being built people asked Richard Lloyd Jones (the original owner) what it was going to be and he jokingly told them "a pickle factory".

What and where is it?  

Nevermind... I found it.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westhope

But for the poor upkeep, the house looks modern today. It must have looked like a spaceship 90 years ago.

I guess I should be glad it wasn't painted white with black shutters....  ;D

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/3704-S-Birmingham-Ave-Tulsa-OK-74105/22185688_zpid/

Anyone wish they would donate it to the city like Frank Phillips did with Philbrook?  It's one of the more notable homes designed by FLW.

Not really, although I really don't think people own a notable FLW home, they are more conservators than owners.

God I hate that look.

https://www.tulsapeople.com/facts-about-philbrook/article_8fce3a91-2771-56f5-97dc-4e0bb7972e22.html (https://www.tulsapeople.com/facts-about-philbrook/article_8fce3a91-2771-56f5-97dc-4e0bb7972e22.html)

You seem to have confused Frank and Waite Phillips. Waite gave Tulsa Philbrook, Frank gave Woolaroc. Both great contributions to Oklahoma.

https://www.woolaroc.org/history-of-woolaroc#:~:text=Frank%20Phillips%2C%20known%20as%20%22Uncle,which%20owns%20and%20operates%20Woolaroc.
 (https://www.woolaroc.org/history-of-woolaroc#:~:text=Frank%20Phillips%2C%20known%20as%20%22Uncle,which%20owns%20and%20operates%20Woolaroc.)

If there is a connection between the Phillips and Frank Lloyd Wright, it's the Price Tower building in Bartlesville, the Philtower in Tulsa is an Art Deco design.

In all honesty, the next trip I plan to go back to Tulsa, I will probably spend time in the Atlas Life building and will go to Bartlesville and stay at the Price Tower.

Cool pix from a national publication:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/americasmarkets/2023/04/29/frank-lloyd-wright-westhope-tulsa-for-sale/11705471002/