Page 53 - KW LUXURY MAGAZINE

Tulsa is home to an extraordinary collection
of Art Deco structures, including The Boston Avenue Methodist Church.
celebrates Art Deco not only through preservation but occasionally in newer construction. The
Tulsa City Bus Terminal (circa 1998) provides a beautiful homage to Streamline Moderne design, although most preservationists object to this trend of “echo Deco” that lacks historical integrity.
Amanda DeCort, executive director of the Tulsa Foundation for Architecture, suggests the city should focus on its impressive collection
of buildings true to the era. “Our Art Deco architecture is a source of community pride and in the last 10 years there’s been a huge resurgence of interest in the style and our historical heritage in general,” she reports.
The largest concentration of Art Deco structures is the Miami Beach Architectural District (“Deco District”), where nearly 900 buildings have been lovingly preserved. The city’s sunnier brand of Art Deco — it is characterized by a vibrant color palette, artistic neon and a more intimate scale — includes chic hotels, trendy restaurants and boutiques. The Carlyle Hotel, a superb example of Art Deco in Miami Beach, was featured in the iconic television show Miami Vice as well as movies like The Birdcage and Scarface. “The style in Miami Beach is known as ‘Tropical Art Deco’ because of our unique environment,” explains Martin Jean, director of tours at the Miami Design Preservation League.
“There’s a lot of architectural eye candy
in one short sweep in Miami Beach,” insists Jean, who believes a sense of nostalgia is fueling increased interest in Art Deco. Noting a strong prevalence of Streamline Moderne, Jean states, “Being a seaside community, you can see the in uence of ships and tugboats, as well as trains, planes and automobiles if you use a bit of imagination.”
In contrast to some other cities’ Art Deco architecture, Miami Beach’s buildings were originally small, economically built structures which Jean suggests incorporated tricks of the
eye or ornamentation to make them look more elegant. He reports most buildings were originally painted white, in vogue in the 1920s and 1930s, and that the explosion of colors seen today arrived much later. Ironically, some landmarks undergoing renovation are now being repainted white, which is once again fashionable.
Remarkably, almost a century after its introduction in Paris, Art Deco still captures our imagination, even where we least expect it. Tulsa architect Shane Hood conveys a common refrain expressed by Art Deco enthusiasts: “Why can’t we build like this anymore?”
The Tulsa Fire Alarm Building’s ornamental facade.
architecture is a source of the last 10 years there’s interest in the style and general.”
— Amanda DeCort Executive Director Tulsa Foundation for Architechture
arriving from the East Coast during the city’s oil boom was responsible for Tulsa’s explosion of Art Deco projects. “They emulated what they had back East and built monuments to themselves in what was the hot style of the time,” says Hood, who notes some local architects incorporated Native American themes to create a uniquely Tulsa brand of Deco.
The Tulsa Art Deco Museum is located in the lobby of the Philcade Building, a landmark whose stunning gilded ceiling re ects the Native American in uences cited by Hood. Tulsa
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PHOTOS COURTESY OF TULSA OFFICE OF FILM, MUSIC, ARTS & CULTURE