What's behind the Parker Building's Hideous Facade?

[PonderInc]

Ever wonder what's behind the Parker Building's hideous "bronze" cover-up panels?



Anybody know if the architectural details were destroyed or just covered up?

Here are some photos from the Beryl Ford Collection.  Can't seem to get the images to show up here, but here are the links...

http://cdm15020.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/p15020coll1/id/12867/rec/1
http://cdm15020.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/p15020coll1/id/10180/rec/62
http://cdm15020.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/p15020coll1/id/9941/rec/534
http://cdm15020.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/p15020coll1/id/231/rec/2

[sgrizzle]

I asked the realtor who has the listing and he said the old facade was removed.

[erfalf]

Ever wonder what's behind the Parker Building's hideous "bronze" cover-up panels?



Anybody know if the architectural details were destroyed or just covered up?

Here are some photos from the Beryl Ford Collection.  Can't seem to get the images to show up here, but here are the links...

http://cdm15020.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/p15020coll1/id/12867/rec/1
http://cdm15020.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/p15020coll1/id/10180/rec/62
http://cdm15020.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/p15020coll1/id/9941/rec/534
http://cdm15020.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/p15020coll1/id/231/rec/2

Tragic.

In one of those pictures you linked I noticed a Kress department store. Is the horrendous Tulsa World building that faces Main a refaced version of the Kress? If so, I'm not sure which is more tragic. At least the Parker building has doors.

[Oil Capital]

Wow.  Tragic, indeed.

[PonderInc]

I was afraid that all the beautiful ornamentation had been chopped off.  Sad to hear it's true.

Twenty years ago or so, Guthrie experienced a downtown Renaissance when people started pulling the aluminum siding off their historic buildings.  Folks were amazed to discover what was hidden behind the tacky retrofits.  They were lucky b/c the old buildings were simply covered up, not destroyed.  

All those people who scream about property rights... My right to destroy--through my ignorance--the physical beauty, history and future of a city just b/c I happen to hold title to a particular property for a little while.  Sigh.

Perhaps there should be a test you have to pass when purchasing a historic property before you can receive the title (like a graduation test before you get a diploma...).  The test would cover the history and architectural significance of the building, as well as its contribution to the built environment, plus opportunities for HP tax credits on appropriate renovations....

It wouldn't prevent anyone from having control of their property, but it might prevent stupid, short-sighted decisions made in total ignorance about a historic property.

Heck, if our "hands off" government can impose ultrasounds on women making private decisions about their own bodies, lives, health, and futures, surely they wouldn't mind a little education before allowing people to make irreversable decisions that affect a city's long-term health....

[AquaMan]

It angers me as well. I do remember the time period and I have to say that the mentality differed greatly from today. It was oil money, and lots of it, that cared little about such things as historical relevance. They seriously thought they were beautifying,m improving and modernizing a stuffy little town. Of course, now they're all in Houston.

[erfalf]

In all fairness, it was "oil money" that built almost all of the old grand buildings.