Oklahoma Modern

Several years ago I came across an auction on eBay for a postcard titled "Oklahoma Bank of the Future" listing this card: My immediate reaction was, Zowee! I assumed this was an artist's rendition of a bank that never was. Then I learned it was . And better yet, it still is! This past February we loaded up the Volvo and headed down the turnpike. Today it's an Arvest Bank and you'll find it in Oklahoma City just north of the capitol complex on Lincoln. The building has experienced some blandishment through the years, but it's still definitely futuristic. The layout of the structure is a diamond shape– but you'd never know it from the outside. The drive-thru has been extensively modified from the original vision of the future. Originally the tellers each had their own little "pod" to work from, this was a trend at early autobanks, but now they are seated together in the main building. The overall condition of the building is excellent. I have to ...

A couple of years ago we were passing through Enid, Oklahoma and this office park caught my eye. The buildings are situated along a small creek, and built on stilts to take advantage of the fact. I'm a fan of this rectilinear look and have always been a sucker for elevated structures. There are some office buildings in Oklahoma City along Classen that remind me of these. The OKC buildings even have the parking nestled underneath. There was a plaque stating the complex had won a design award. It showed a date of early Seventies as I recall. I don't remember all the details– guess we'll have to take another road trip!