The Bruce Goff House in Vinita

We were recently surprised to learn about a Goff-designed home just an hour away from Tulsa in Vinita, Oklahoma. Vinita is probably best known to OK Mod readers as the home of the Glass House on I-44, also known as (shudder) the World's Largest Largest McDonalds. Anywho, turned out the Goff house was on the market, and the owner was more than happy to let us have a look around. We took a short drive up the turnpike one Sunday afternoon to meet the realtor, snap some pictures, ask some questions and enjoy another one of Bruce Goff's unique creations.

The home is known as the Adams House and was built in 1961. The 3,700 square foot home is arranged in a circular floor plan with a large sunken "conversation pit" at the center. Rising up from this pit is a large metal fireplace, its chimney surrounded by skylights, which dominates the entire house. Rooms surround the perimeter with folding accordion doors acting as walls. To maintain some semblance of privacy an inner ring of closets separate the central living area from the bedrooms.

Outside, the house is rock with triangular insets for doors and windows. Much of the stone is set to show off its drill marks, and numerous fossils are visible. The nearly flat roof extends over the carport and features a cone-shaped screen over the central chimney. The rain gutter around the perimeter of the roof features sharply pointed spouts that had us wondering how far the water might be flung during an Oklahoma downpour.This 12-sided house was designed during the time Goff had an architectural practice in Bartlesville. The final version we see today was not the original design- not uncommon for residential projects by this eccentric architect. The constraints of finances, materials or good old-fashioned practicality often sent Goff back to the drawing board. It's also worth noting the current owner claims to have the blueprints for the house!

Structurally the house appears quite sound. Not surprisingly there is some evidence of leakage around the skylights encircling that central chimney. But it appears to be unaltered from the original 1961 design and waiting for an appreciative owner to take over stewardship of this remarkable house.

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Bruce Goff House in Vinita

International Style Open House

One of Oklahoma's Most Significant Modern Homes Open for Public Viewing Next Week

On June 24, 2010 an open house will be held at the recently-restored Robert Lawton Jones House in Tulsa. A Look magazine article called it the International House of Style. This 1959 beauty is a textbook example of the International Style, and the first Mid-Century Modern house in Oklahoma to be added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Robert Lawton Jones was a principal architect with Murray-Jones-Murray, a firm familiar to any Tulsan who appreciates the art of minimal design. These are the folks that gave us the Tulsa International Airport, First Place Tower, Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church and the Tulsa Assembly Center. Jones studied under Mies Van der Rohe, and it shows in much of his work. The simple lines and sparse ornamentation are hallmarks of his work.

Back in 2008 I snapped these photos after an Oklahoma storm had toppled trees near the house. Fortunately the falling foliage did not land squarely on the home, and only caused minor damage.

The Jones house restoration will showcase interior upgrades and landscaping intended to highlight this showplace of modernism. A $10 donation is suggested, and all proceeds benefit the Oklahoma Interior Design Coalition.

Open House: Robert Lawton Jones House
Thursday, June 24, 2010
2:00 - 7:30 pm 1916 E 47th Street, Tulsa

Trade Winds Survives I-44 Expansion

All the work along I-44 has us frantically searching for alternate routes in and out of the Patrick Henry neighborhood. Skelly Drive resembles the Baja 500 and the intersection of 51st and Harvard has been a war zone. But the work is necessary, and long overdue.

The Skelly Bypass, as this stretch of I-44 through Tulsa used to be known, was originally built in 1957. The stretch between Yale and the Arkansas River has been virtually unchanged since then. And it shows. Bridges and underpasses are crumbling, the lanes are narrow and entrance ramps have merge areas that are "Oklahoma City-short."

During this much-needed expansion of the Interstate we have seen many unique buildings razed or molested. Many of them were built when Skelly Drive was new and modern, so they typify that Mid-Century aesthetic. One business that has survived the highway construction is the Trade Winds East. It's hard to tell nowadays, but this Motor Hotel was quite a tiki showplace when it opened in 1959.

There were three Trade Winds hotels along I-44 in Tulsa- West was located at Peoria, Central is west of Harvard and East is just east of Harvard on Skelly Drive. The best known of the three was probably West, where the studios of KAKC radio were located along with the Tiki Nook lounge. Alas, the Tiki Nook closed in the Seventies and the western Trade Winds was demolished many years ago.

Trade Winds Central is the largest of the three, and the least interesting to look at. I worked there one Summer as a maintenance man. I learned the secrets of vinyl mattress covers and adding chlorine to the swimming pool. We were told the owners of the chain were a family from Arkansas who bred race horses. In fact, the name Trade Winds happened to be one of their more successful thoroughbreds. It was during this short stint of employment I discovered two properties- the now demolished Patrick Henry Apartments and the Trade Winds East.

Occasionally I was sent on errands to "East" to pick up a dead air conditioner or deliver pool supplies. This was when I discovered the poolside cabanas and zany roofline of the eastern-most Trade Winds. The complex was like a resort. Compared to its larger sibling across Harvard it was svelte, swingin' and ready to party. Back then I had no idea what Polynesian kitsch was, but I knew I liked it. The iconic sign with its palm trees and Googie shapes so fascinated me that a miniature version followed me home. I still have it more than 30 years later.

Today the tropical stylings of the Trade Winds East are all but obscured with stucco-covered styrofoam. The entrance and main lobby area look perfectly mundane- unless you look closely. Large beams set at a 60 degree angle reveal that something special once happened where the wall meets the ceiling. Look under the latex paint and you'll find lava rock imported from a distant island. More lava rock was recently removed from out front for the highway expansion.

Step out to the pool area and it's easier to see the hep and swinging style this place once oozed. Private cabanas are lined up along the west side of the swimming pool, each with a private patio. Their pyramid hip roofs match the larger points visible above the main building. The modest pool is outlined by a concrete apron that appears to indicate a dramatic downsizing many years ago. Today the pool is mostly quiet.

The good news is the Motor Hotel has survived the highway project, is reasonably intact and still a viable business. Most of the "modernizations" are superficial and could probably be undone with a little effort. Hopefully it will survive long enough for some visionary soul to come strip off the fake stucco, expose its inner kitsch and turn it into a restored retro rest stop. And let's hope they re-create that sign!



Photos courtesy Beryl Ford Collection

Bruce Goff Towers in Roland

On a recent trip to Arkansas we detoured through Roland, Oklahoma to visit a little-known structure designed by Bruce Goff. It's a trio of steel towers that mark the entrance to the Woodland Hills neighborhood. The 99 foot-tall towers were built in 1963 and are located in Roland along US-64, aka 1200 block of Ray Fines Boulevard.

Each pole has rebar accents shaped like the reinforcements of a Rohn tower. At the base of the towers is a shallow reflection pool where a fountain and colored lights once accented the striking structure. Today the pool is dry and the lights are dark- but it's still a pretty impressive landmark in this Eastern Oklahoma town of only 3400 people. 

SandRidge Demolition Stalled

The proposed SandRidge Commons project was put on hold Thursday by the Oklahoma City Board of Adjustment. The board cited a lack of information and granted the appeal instigated by Preservation Oklahoma.

The next round in this ordeal is scheduled to take place June 17, 2010 at 1:30 pm.

Full article from the Daily Oklahoman.