Lost Tulsa, Be warned, depressing thread.

[TheArtist]

Great photos. But.... Thats one place I am glad is gone. I remember my parents taking me there when I was a kid and also going later as a young adult. I always remember thinking how depressing the place felt. It was stark, boring and cold. Horribly designed.  Decent if you considered it as just an Ice Skating Rink, but as a shopping center or anything else... horrible.

[billintulsa]

quote:Originally posted by NCTulsan

quote:Originally posted by MichaelBates
It's interesting that Tulsa never had a courthouse square. I wonder why not. The old courthouse was squeezed into one corner of the block.

Same goes for the old City Hall.  At least we still have that building.

My Grandmother (rest her soul) was an elevator operator in that building.

Sweet memories.

[FOTD]

quote:Originally posted by TheArtist

Great photos. But.... Thats one place I am glad is gone. I remember my parents taking me there when I was a kid and also going later as a young adult. I always remember thinking how depressing the place felt. It was stark, boring and cold. Horribly designed.  Decent if you considered it as just an Ice Skating Rink, but as a shopping center or anything else... horrible.

Agreed. And the placement of the building interrupted the real potential to connect The Brady district right into downtown.

It's unfortunate demand for films went to the Metroplexes in suburbia. None of the ornate theatres downtown could have survived without nearby high density residences close by. After all, today there exits an abundance of seats compared to expendable income in our community.
                                                                               
Tulsa Megalomania. An article in this morning's paper (http://www.tulsaworld.com/business/article.aspx?subjectID=46&articleID=20080301_238_E1_hFlin62838 ) about Flintco got me thinking. Archeticks are the major culprits in much of the demise of old Tulsa.  While they've done obvious improvements  at the cost of some preservation, I found it ironic Flintco were bragging about the Mid Continent Tower construction which brought down Reading and Bates.


The Brady was the likely Tulsa entertainment district. Mayor Savage did even more damage by putting the jail down there where the Ballpark or Areema would have been a better fit. But it was the ill-conceived mixed use Williams Tower that created a big transportation barrier that severed the downtown community.                                                                                
In  retrospect, putting the Williams Tower smack dab in the middle of the road was nothing more than irresponsible.  No doubt there was no interest by Flintco at the time to try to urban plan along side of pulling out their crayolas.

And by the way, how many years is all that work taking in front of the Tower. It's ridiculous. One must wonder what kind of planning was going on 40 years ago and what kind of weak infrastructure got instituted.

[TheArtist]

While I agree that the BOK tower cut off downtown. I cant imagine Boston Ave without it there. I think it really makes that one street seem much more "impactful" and while on that one street you feel as though you are in a much larger city than Tulsa really is. Other things could have been, and still can be, done to connect both sides of downtown. IMO Pshychologically the BOK tower in that location, over all is a benefit to Tulsa. When I give someone the tour, I love taking them down Boston Ave. You have to admit, when you look out and see that canyon of skyscrapers on either side of you and the BOK tower rising at the end, its quite impressive.

[FOTD]

Looks don't make it happen in downtown.

Everyone I know complains about the parking in that area.

Poorly thought out master plan for our downtown.

Reactionary implementation.

[booWorld]

IMO, removing downtown Tulsa's two adjacent, parallel, and prime business streets was an enormous planning blunder.  Note that the tower of Boston Avenue Methodist Church is visible from the street, but it doesn't block traffic flow.  This could have been done with the Bank of Oklahoma tower as well.  Boston could have been rebuilt between 1st and 3rd to bypass the BOk tower.

"I walk this empty street -- on the boulevard of broken dreams -- where the city sleeps, and I'm the only one, and I walk alone."

[ARGUS]

Owen School may have been in Owen Park? Irving is still standing and is owened by a nursing home owner and his sons and their concerns).

[Renaissance]

quote:Originally posted by booWorld

IMO, removing downtown Tulsa's two adjacent, parallel, and prime business streets was an enormous planning blunder.  Note that the tower of Boston Avenue Methodist Church is visible from the street, but it doesn't block traffic flow.  This could have been done with the Bank of Oklahoma tower as well.  Boston could have been rebuilt between 1st and 3rd to bypass the BOk tower.

Agree.

[booWorld]

quote:Originally posted by ARGUS

Owen School may have been in Owen Park?

Owens Public School is still standing at the northwest corner of Admiral and Maybelle, just west of downtown.  Owens School became part of Irving School.  It is shown as "Owens Public School" on the 1911 Sanborn Map of Tulsa.  The same building is shown as "Irving School" on the 1915 Sanborn Map.

"I walk this empty street -- on the boulevard of broken dreams..."