Automobiles brought substantial change to every city. The car’s vast influence altered how people interact with their environment, which manifested strongly in architecture and design. This week we’ll tour two significant Tulsa buildings designed for the automobile era. SOM’s Warren Petroleum headquarters (1957), known as International Plaza, is a 12-story Meisian glass box adapted to Oklahoma. McCune & McCune’s two-story First National Autobank (1959), home to beloved downtown restaurant The Vault, lives large with striking folded concrete and soaring glass.

Join us for TFA LIVE/Virtual Tour: Auto Mod!

TFA virtual tours take place in real time – they are not prerecorded. Tour guides stream live on site, while tour-goers watch and participate from anywhere. Don’t let geography stop you from joining in a TFA tour! Your $10 tour ticket directly supports the nonprofit Tulsa Foundation for Architecture.

THIS SERIES: MAD ABOUT MODERN

The modern movement in architecture was all about looking forward instead of backward. Modernism emphasized form over ornament, and embraced new materials and technologies. In this month’s LIVE/Virtual Tour series, TFA explores the beauty of glass, steel, and reinforced concrete as we look at some of our favorite examples of the modern movement in a city rich with fantastic midcentury architecture. We will wax nostalgic for a period in architecture that purposefully turned its back to nostalgia.

Divine Mod features Morning Star Baptist Church, Temple Israel, and Christ the Redeemer Lutheran Church. Tours: Saturday, October 10th @ 10:30 am

Rethink Mod features the adaptive reuse of Bob Buchner's Ponca City Savings and Loan Building, now the Tulsa Center for Architecture and Design, and the Engler Photo Supply Building, now home to Cubic. Tours: Saturday, October 17th @ 10:30 am

Auto Mod features Warren Petroleum, now International Plaza, and the First National Auto Bank, now the Vault restaurant. Tours: Saturday, October 24th @ 10:30 am

Mod @ Home features three homes in the entirely distinctive Lortondale neighborhood. Tours: Saturday, October 31st @ 10:30 am

FAQs

HOW TO WATCH: When you purchase a ticket, you’ll get a confirmation email from Eventbrite two hours before the tour that will include your Zoom link. Please make sure you have the latest version of Zoom installed on your computer, tablet, or phone. Zoom.us is the place to get it.

WATCHING TOGETHER? Of course, we want you to watch with the other folks in your household!

WEATHER POLICY: Thunderstorms and cameras aren’t a good mix. If forced to reschedule, we'll email you the details at least two hours prior to the tour.

MEMBER VOUCHERS: 2nd Saturday tour vouchers do not expire, so feel free to hang on to them for future in-person tours. Your vouchers can be used for virtual tours if you'd like.

QUESTIONS? ISSUES? Email us at info@tulsaarchitecture.org.