Tulsa Then and Now

[tulsabug]

Thought this would be fun to explore - pics from Beryl Ford and other sources compared to now (mainly through Google maps but I might get out and about and snap some pics too). Beryl Ford pics are credit The Beryl Ford Collection/Rotary Club of Tulsa, Tulsa City-County Library and Tulsa Historical Society.

First up - Looking north on Boston from 8th street in 1952 - https://digitalcollections.tulsalibrary.org/digital/collection/p15020coll1/id/288/rec/38

The Google map pics are from 2007 before the additional spire was added to the church and a more current pic with that construction finished. The ONG building hasn't really changed and the building the small shops across from the church were in is still there now as the Bernsen Community Life Center.

Please excuse the side-scrolling - I'll try to refrain from more than two pics on future posts.... or will I? {{{ominous music}}}

[tulsabug]

Here's 4th and Boulder in 1925 and 2019.The Tulsa National Bank building on the left is still there as is the Tulsa World building in the middle back. The Skelly Oil building is under construction (I think it was an upward addition to an existing building) but was later torn down by the Tulsa World for a beautiful parking garage designed by the Borg. The building on the back center left is still there (built in 1917) but has been reskinned into a big pile of 80s ugly. The Domino's was actually in the corner in 1925 as it is now however it took them 94 years to get an outside sign (which we were lucky enough to capture in the 2019 pic).



Sorry again for the side-scrolling - I'm trying to avoid shrinking the old pics much since they're pretty grainy to begin with.

[tulsabug]

And here's a pic of the Skelly building after completion and now. So glad the Tulsa World replaced it's ugly-a$$ with a beautiful parking garage. You rock TW.

The building beside that beautiful parking garage is the Palace Building which was built is in 1917. It was recently remodeled into apartments but hasn't really changed much externally. The fire escapes were taken down around 2015 when it was being remodeled. Ironically it was also owned by the Tulsa World until recently when it was sold to the company converting the building into apartments.

[tulsabug]

A better view of the Palace building in 1925 and 2019 after it's remodel. Pretty much the same externally outside of ground-floor windows, signage, and the addition of a Burger King.