Nobody expects a town in the Great Plains to have an abundance of eye-catching, vintage art deco buildings, but Tulsa surprises everyone. As a matter of fact, T-town has one of the largest concentrations of art deco structures in the country; only Miami Beach and Manhattan surpass it.

Art deco got its birth in 1925 in Paris with the Exposition Internationale des Arts D?coratifs et Industriels Modernes, an exhibition of forward-looking decorative and industrial arts presenting fresh ideas. Distinct from any other style, it was eagerly embraced and became widely popular.

On the one hand are art deco's strong geometric designs and sharp zigzag vectors that slash across a background. On the other are playful curlicues mixed with animal and flower motifs sometimes flowing in serpentine curves. Tulsa has all forms of art deco.

Tulsa's population exploded when oil was discovered. In the days when it was the Oil Capital of the World — beginning in the exuberant Roaring Twenties — oil barons vied with one another for attention by erecting grand buildings, each more impressive than the one before. Art deco, the style of the time, was new and exciting. Not only the skyline of Tulsa changed, but so did everything else. No longer a little cow town, as Tulsa grew so did its citizens, and they developed an appreciation for art and architecture.

Some of Tulsa's art deco buildings were funded by the Public Works Administration. They are not as grand as what oil money bought, but beautiful and imaginative nonetheless. One can spot snappy art deco designs on gas stations, theaters, homes, and schools.

Today, Tulsa has around 60 structures of art deco style or influence. That it has so many extant buildings of this style is wonderful and amazing; what is sad is that probably that many more were destroyed over the decades as styles and preferences changed, urban renewal set in, and the city needed room to grow.

Fortunately, one of the notable architectural masterpieces that survived is the limestone Boston Avenue United Methodist Church, a 79-year-old vertical art deco structure designed by Dr. Adah Robinson, a University of Tulsa art professor. The 255-foot tower of copper, steel, and glass has 15 floors. The upward lines of the dazzling building puncture the skyline, leading one's eyes to the sky, where, adorning the tips of spires is a series of stylized praying hands.

The downtown Philcade Building — courtesy of oilman Waite Phillips, brother of the founders of Phillips Petroleum and owner of his own oil company — sports an opulent marble lobby with decorative iron grills and a coterie of animals and florals. A number of other downtown buildings have glorious lobbies of ornate grillwork, high ceilings decorated with bas-relief figures, and columns that carry sumptuous symbols of the time.

While reveling in the architectural eye candy in this northeastern Oklahoma city, don't pass up Tulsa's world-class art museums with their outstanding collections. Here again, the structures and art come from the generosity of oil magnates.

The Philbrook Museum of Art ("Phil" for Phillips and "brook" for a stream that runs through the property) is in a house built in 1927 by Waite Phillips and was the family home for 11 years before becoming Tulsa's first art museum. The Beaux Arts Italianate villa, just minutes from downtown, is evidence of the splendor of the 1920s. Inside, the art ranges from classical, Renaissance, Asian, African, to American Indian. Of special note is its celebrated 19th century American art collection focusing on westward expansion. Outside are 23 acres of gardens.

The Gilcrease is Tulsa's best-known museum and highlights art of the Americas with a large and comprehensive collection of art of the American West and American Indian artifacts. Its renowned theme gardens (such as Colonial and Victorian) showcase various styles of gardening; for instance, the pre-Columbian garden features plants, such as wild onion and sumac that were grown by the Indians for medicine, food, or ceremonies. Outdoor sculptures include a bronze by well-known American Indian artist, Allan Houser. The large collection, more than 10,000 pieces of Western art by 400-plus artists, was amassed by Thomas Gilcrease, one-eighth Creek Indian, who built his own oil company.

To see another example of extraordinary architecture, nearby Bartlesville, an hour north of Tulsa, is home to a gem of gems. Built in the mid-1950s is the 19-story Price Tower, a tall, six-sided Frank Lloyd Wright design that was first intended for a New York City apartment building. It is Wright's only cantilevered skyscraper and is ornately designed. He described it as "the tree that escaped the crowded forest." The building was commissioned by Harold C. Price for the corporate headquarters of his oil pipeline company.

Similar to other Wright designs, the building is beautiful and innovative and has much impracticality. Rooms are small and doors are too narrow to get furniture in and out. (And you certainly couldn't have invited Orson Welles to dinner.) It was, right from the beginning, designed as a multi-use facility of offices and apartments. The Price Tower Arts Center now owns this spectacular six-sided vertical building and it is used as a hotel, restaurant, museum area, gift shop, and office space.

IF YOU GO

Northeastern Oklahoma, and particularly Tulsa, surprises and delights visitors with the unexpected. For more information: www.visittulsa.com.

Kay Grant is a freelance travel writer. To find out more about Kay Grant and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

COPYRIGHT 2008 CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC.

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