Notes on the Geography of Oklahoma: Tulsa

With its old oil money, Tulsa is more sophisticated than Oklahoma City. That's been the song, at least, though with recent growth in OKC the song is probably off key.

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A high point--and classic Oklahoma: the (now closed) home of Thomas Gilcrease, a great collector of (American) Western art.

Gilcrease was an oilman, but a puny one in comparison to Frank Philipps, from whose bedroom one was transported far from the Great Plains. Call it the Plains version of San Simeon.

In those days, before Oklahoma had run low on oil, there was money and taste for terracotta trim on office buildings.

The moderne look came to office buildings.

It came to churches, too.

A handsome font chosen for the cornerstone of that church.

Even garages had pretensions.

After World War II, things got simpler.

And simpler still.

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