Tulsa Union Depot
Architect: R.C. Stephens
Year Completed: 1931
Location: 3 South Boston Avenue, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Style: PWA Moderne / Art Deco
The Tulsa Union Depot is one of the "happy ending stories" of Tulsa's Art Deco buildings. R.C. Stephens, the building's architect, was the chief architect of the Frisco Railroad.
Like the Tulsa Fire Alarm Building, Tulsa Union Depot fits into the PWA Moderne style of Art Deco. Its simple lines but monumental feel are typical of this style of architecture.
Also fitting with Art Deco, the building has a "theme" which is found throughout the building's decoration. Union Depot's theme is derived from Native American art, something common in Tulsa.
The depot served as a stop for passenger trains until 1967. The building was then closed and its future was uncertain. Looters took everything they could reach: marble, chandeliers, etched glass. Nothing was left below eight feet. In 1982, the Williams Companies chose to renovate it for office space. They hired the original contractors for the building, Manhattan Construction, to work on the renovation.
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