St. Patrick's Catholic Church

On the Trail of Julius Shulman: Stop 4

Probably the most surprising stop on our OKC bus tour was this boxy concrete church on North Portland Avenue. We were amazed that we'd never come across this unique structure before.

The Saint Patrick Catholic Church was designed by Tulsa architectural firm Murray-Jones-Murray in 1962. This is the same group that gave us the Tulsa International Airport, the Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church and many more fine examples of the International Style. But this church takes the simple, rectilinear lines of that style and turns it up a notch.

From the outside we have a Brutalist structure of concrete walls. The parish members actually helped set the forms for these huge poured-in-place wall panels. The front of the building is dominated by a massive bell tower entryway. But pass under that and the fun begins!

Inside the concrete box is a glass box- this is the actual sanctuary. But the first thing you'll notice inside are the modernist angels molded into each of the concrete wall panels. Towering over 30 feet high they dominate the wide corridor between the outer and inner walls of the building. But wait... looking up from here you can see a sliver of blue sky. You're still outside!

A series of eight concrete "umbrellas" make up the roof of the sanctuary. But the perimeter of these roof panels are not connected to the outer walls you see from outside. The entire interior is surrounded by a sort of courtyard, all overlooked by the stylized angels.

My apologies if that description sounds confusing, it's a difficult to describe building. If you'd like to give it a try visit the church at 2121 N. Portland Avenue in Oklahoma City.

Mods from Stillwater

On a recent trip to Stillwater, Oklahoma we absorbed some of the Mid-Century karma that is sprinkled around the city. This is not an exhaustive list- just what we managed to visit in one day before we were exhausted.

First Christian Church


This beauty sits at the edge of the OSU campus on Duck just south of Hall of Fame. The unique steeple sports several bells and is flanked by the interesting roof.

Stillwater National Bank


Downtown Stillwater is dominated by this 1967 bank building at 6th and Main.


The bank features underground parking and unique "umbrellas" along the perimeter.


Above the entrance is this massive light fixture.

St. Andrews Episcopal Church


This tidy box was dedicated in 1965 on Third Street, just around the corner from Hideaway Pizza. St. Andrews has some interesting stained glass windows.


St. Andrews was designed by three church members, F. Cuthbert & Christine Salmon and Phil Wilber. I bet that awning was not their idea!

Well, that's all for now. I'm sure we'll be back to Stillwater soon to search out more modern abodes and interesting structures.

Googie in Joplin

Returning from a motorcycle rally in Crane, Missouri about a year ago I came across this wonderful sign.

It's a great example of Googie style, with wacky shapes and a classic red flying wing (okay, it's really a chevron). It demands you pull in the parking lot.

The Capri Motel appeared to be intact, but not near as well preserved as this neon sign out front.


What the heck is Googie?