Tulsa's International Style Architecture

[Hometown]

Tulsa is a real estate candy store.  And reasonably priced candy too!  

The subject of Modern architecture and more specifically "International Style" Modern architecture came up recently here at TulsaNow.  The discussion caught my interest and I went out to find some examples of International Style architecture here in Tulsa.

But first here's a brief explanation of International Style architecture patched together from excerpts taken from "American Architecture: An Illustrated Encyclopedia," Cyril M. Harris, ed., Norton & Co, 1998.

International Style 1920-1945.

A style of architecture applied to residences and public buildings that is minimalist in concept, is devoid of regional characteristics, stresses functionalism, and rejects all nonessential decorative elements; typically this style emphasizes the horizontal aspects of a building.

In the decades separating World Wars I and II, Americans tended to prefer period houses that reflected past traditions, while European architects emphasized radically new designs that came to be known as International style architecture...."

During the 1930s these ideas were introduced into the United States by several distinguished practitioners, like Walter Gropius and Mies van der Rohe, Richard Neutra and Marcel Breurer who emigrated to escape the developing chaos in Europe.

Defining features:

•Simple geometric forms, often rectilinear
•Reinforced-concrete and steel construction with a nonstructural skin
•Occasionally, cylindrical surfaces
•Unadorned, smooth wall surfaces, typically of glass, steel, or stucco painted white
•Complete absence of ornamentation and decoration; often, an entire blank wall
•Often, a cantilevered upper floor or balcony
•Houses in this style are characterized by open interior spaces and are commonly asymmetrical
•Commercial buildings are not only symmetrical but appear as a series of repetitive elements
•Flat roof, without a ledge, eaves, or coping, that terminates at the plane of the wall
•Large areas of floor-to-ceiling glass or curtain walls of glass
•Metal window frames set flush with the exterior walls, often in horizontal bands
•Casement windows; sliding windows
•Doorway treatments conspicuously plain, lacking decorative detailing

Some Tulsans bucked prevailing tastes and were drawn to the new Modern architecture of Europe – "International Style."  The following are examples of Tulsa's International Style architecture I found close in to downtown:

Here's a classic International Style apartment building on 21st Street across from Lee Elementary.  Notice the glass block window over the front entrance and the corner windows.



The Riverview neighborhood had several examples of International Style.

Was this a late incarnation of International Style?  Or is it a building from a later era that references International Style?  The covered parking appears to have been added later.  Does anyone know the history on this one?  It is a very striking building named the Olympia.



Here's another Riverview International Style apartment building.



This one sits overlooking the river on a cul de sac.  



Here's an International Style fire station on Admiral.



This is a very short list that I hope to expand.  I'd like to find some houses too.

Does anyone know of other buildings here in Tulsa that look like these?

[Ed W]

I freely admit little knowledge of architectural style, but I do have two observations.  First, is "international style" the same as Bauhaus?  And second, I believe that fire station is listed as one of Tulsa's Art Deco buildings.  I have a book on Tulsa's Art Deco.....somewhere....and since the height of that style coincided with th oil boom years, many are buildings have Art Deco features.

[TheArtist]

I really like the first and third apartments. They have a very classy style.  Its nice to see those two buildings being kept up and not "modified" to have a look other than their period and style would reflect.  

The second apartments I am not sure what style those are lol.  Any building built during the same time period would be likely to borrow elements of any style popular at the same time.  The covered parking does indeed seem to have been added later, would have been better if it matched the apartments better.  

I drove by that fire station the other day and wondered whether it was art deco or not.  I decided that it really wasn't, but was not sure what style it was lol.  There again it may have had some influence from both the international and art-deco movements.

[Steve]

When I think of the term "international style" of modern architecture, I think of low, horizontal buildings with flat roofs, exposed steel beam framing, and glass curtain walls.  I also think of Bauhaus from the 1920s.  Tulsa's International Airport, as originally constructed in the early 1960s, was certainly in the international style.  I also think of Lever House and the Seagram building in NYC, two early 1950s examples of high-rise buildings which I believe exemplify the high-rise version of international style.  

To me, the basic requisites of international style are steel framing and glass walls, rectangular lines, lack of curves and unnecesary ornamentation.  There is an office building downtown on Boulder Ave. around 13th that was the original headquaters of Warren Petroleum Co.  About 10-12 stories tall, it was designed by the world-famous architect firm of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (forgive my spelling or misquotes.)  That is what I call Tulsa's definitive version of a high-rise international style building.  Thank god this building has survived until today, unaltered from the original architect's vision.  Probably due to the fact that one of the major current tennants is an architect firm, Selser Schaefer Architects, and they appreciate the building for its historic design status.

[waterboy]

There is a house of this style on the north side of 19th between Norfolk and Owasso. It is currently painted a dark color and hiding behind tall bushes but seems to fit one of those style descriptions.

I think it is next to an artists home that has a nude reclining on a bench (scandalous!).

[Hometown]

Art Deco and International Style were parallel movements that shared many attributes.  I would guess that because Tulsa has so much outstanding Art Deco that some International Style buildings have been labeled Art Deco.  I believe the fire house is International Style but Lord knows I've been wrong before.

Steve, I've seen the time frame for the architectural style described as "1920s and 1930s" and as late as "1920 through 1945." which leads me to believe we are into later schools of architecture after 1945.  Maybe it's a matter of it simply becoming part of the lineage in later Modern architecture.  And there is some use of cylinder form in International Style which would certainly be curved.  But I too think of it as more rectangular.  I'm on a learning adventure here with lots of questions.

My standard history of art by Janson does not discuss Art Deco but does discuss International Style.  

My guess is that the Olympia is a 30s era International Style.  What throws me is the use of brick and the concrete looks like it was prefabricated.  Otherwise, it has all the standard elements.  I wonder what the public areas and apartments are like.  You could always remove the cover over the parking.

Thanks Waterboy, I'll check it out all leads.

[Breadburner]

Channel 2 on Peoria....

[AVERAGE JOE]

Noted examples of Tulsa's International Style buildings:


Tulsa International Airport


International Plaza Building

Note the defining features of the style -- rectilinear, absence of ornamentation, cantilevered upper floor(s), repetitive elements, flat roof, curtain walls of glass, metal window frames flush with exterior walls, plain doorway treatments.

Worth noting that while the International Style movement had roots in Europe in the 30s, we didn't experience the style here in Tulsa until well after WWII -- the 50s and 60s mostly. Civic Plaza is mostly International Style, City Hall especially.

International Style and the later Art Deco movements have similar "modern" characteristics regarding ornamentation, but they are distinct. Streamline Art Deco was meant to convey movement by accentuating horizontal elements. International Style, for lack of better description, was all about building minimalist boxes.

Decent page about the three movements of Art Deco on the Tulsa Preservation Commission web site.

[Hometown]

International Style is usually used to describe the early years of the movement through World War II.  Its roots were Bauhaus.  After the war the style is more generally called Modernism.  Art Deco was an amalgamation of various styles that incorporated International Style.  Unlike International Style it included decorative or ornamental elements.  Tulsa did experience International Style.  The apartment buildings I found above are International Style.  The later buildings you cite clearly stand on a foundation of International Style but buildings after World War II would be called Modern.  I took a quick look the buildings listed on the website and a couple of them look to be International Style.

The good news for us is that International Style is held in higher esteem than Art Deco by purists in the art world.  I recall discussion about Europe before the war and International Style architecture in explaining the foundation for Modern art.  There was not a lot of focus on Art Deco or Streamline decorative movements.

[AVERAGE JOE]

Hometown, I hate to always be the architecture guy raining on your parade [|)] but the first and last apartment complex photos you posted above are Art Deco. The horizontal bands give it away. The fire station would likely be considered Deco. The other apartments do indeed appear to be International, but I would guess their construction dates would be post-WWII.

You are correct about many things -- Art Deco (which is a term coined decades after the movement was over) and International both derive from the Bauhaus movement. They were competing schools of design, in fact. What we later referred to as Art Deco was the populist style of the late 20s and 1930s, while International style was largely shunned by all but the purists.

What happened is that the International (Bauhaus) architects fled Europe during WWII and came to the States. They found work not as practicing architects, but as professors in the leading U.S. architecture schools. Their strategy was that they could influence generations of future architects... and they did. But for that reason, the U.S. didn't experience a large-scale International movement until the 1950s -- after the first wave of newly minted architects graduated from the tutelage of the European Bauhaus Modernists. The post-war building boom fueled the movement, and here we are today.

So you are absolutely correct about the roots and general timeline of International Style in the broadest sense, but other than a few isolated examples of the style here and there, the United States' period of significance for International Style is typically considered 1946-1970ish.

Oh, and I forgot -- the downtown YMCA is a good local example of International Style.

[Hometown]

Like I say Joe, this is a learning adventure and it's fun to play with you.

Here's an International Style commercial building.  Check out the horizontal bands.



Tulsa's just got Deco on the brain.  Looks to me like International Style has been lumped in with the other by well meaning enthusiasts.  

Now, hold onto your seat.  I'm ready to argue that Bruce Goff's much loved Riverside Studio owes much more to International Style than it does Art Deco.  Look at the front of that building and think about Modrian's painting.

Anyway, keep posting those pretty pics.  The connection to International Style is obvious, but after World War II those buildings were called Modern.

[AVERAGE JOE]

Well, if you're going to consider that International, then there's very little mid-century architecture that isn't International.

I think it's just our definitions of International Style. You define yours much more broadly than I do. Not all Modern is International (nor is it Deco or Moderne).

Bishop Kelley High School (the original building) is International Style.

[cannon_fodder]

IMHO International Style is just boring.  Especially in the case of apartments and the like where there isnt enough space for the repetition or the vastness of the nothingness can get any real attention.  To me, those just look like old, cheap apartments.  I'm such a philistine, I know.

Per the Art Deco comments, I believe the last Art Deco movement, the Streamlined Art Deco merged with/into the International Style.  Just take Streamline and get rid of the curved structures and you're pretty much at International.

I think it was all just architects getting lazy, who wants to design moldings, crowns, spires, murals, and mosaics for the ENTIRE structure.  Screw that, lets just do as little as possible and call it art.

[Hometown]

That's okay Cannon Fodder, you have a lot of company.  You kind of have to go to art school to get Modernism.  There's just something about people that make them want to hang up some ornaments.  I've lived in several Modern buildings over the years and there really is a common impulse to want to decorate and fill up every available space.  I've seen more than one pitched roof rebuilt over a flat roof.  The good news for you is that we have entered the post Modern era and old fashioned ornamentation is back big time.

From Tulsa's point of view, though, it would be wise of her to preserve her Modern buildings.  It's something of value that Tulsa has.

Tulsa even had artists that made abstract expressionist paintings way back when.

[carltonplace]

AJ and HT, Please keep going, I'm enjoying the education.

I think what makes it art is the extreme dedication to minimalism while still supporting function. The focus embraces the materials (glass, steel, concrete) and shuns ornament.