Government of Tulsa, Oklahoma facts for kids
The city of Tulsa has a special way of running its government, called a mayor-council system. This means there's a mayor who leads the city, and a group of people called councilors who help make decisions. This system has been used since 1989.
The mayor is chosen by all the people in Tulsa who vote. There are also nine councilors, and each one is elected from a different part of the city. Their job is to represent the people in their area.
Tulsa is also the main city, or county seat, for Tulsa County. Inside the city and county, there are also lands that belong to and are governed by different Native American nations.
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Tulsa's City Hall Buildings
What is City Hall?
City Hall is like the main office building for a city's government. It's where the mayor and city councilors work, and where many important city services are managed.
Old City Hall Location
For many years, until 2007, Tulsa's City Hall was in a part of downtown called the Civic Center. This area was busy with other government buildings, like the Federal Courthouse and the Tulsa County Courthouse.
Moving to a New City Hall
In 2007, the mayor at the time, Kathy Taylor, suggested moving City Hall to a different building called One Technology Center. This new building was on the northwest corner of Second Street and Cincinnati.
The main reason for the move was to save money. A study showed that moving to the new building, which was more energy-efficient, could save the city about $15.2 million over ten years!
The old City Hall building in the Civic Center was then turned into a new hotel called the Aloft Hotel. This hotel helps support the BOK Center, a large arena nearby. The new hotel was finished in 2013.
On July 12, 2007, the Tulsa City Council voted on the move. Most of them agreed, with eight councilors voting yes and only one voting no.
History of Tulsa's Government Buildings
First City Office Building (1906)
Tulsa's very first city office building was built in 1906. It was a two-story brick building located at 211 West Second Street. This building was mostly used as a fire station, but it also had offices for city leaders and a police station. The city jail was even in the basement! However, the city quickly grew too big for this small building.
The Municipal Building (1917)
In 1917, Tulsa's government offices moved into a much larger building at Fourth and Cincinnati. This building was officially called the Municipal Building. It was big enough to hold many city services and was used until the 1960s, when the Civic Center building was opened.
The Municipal Building is considered an important historical place. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 18, 1975.
