Philcade Building facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Philcade Building |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Former names | Philcade Building, Stanolind Building, Amoco North Building, 501 South Boston Building |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Art Deco Zigzag style |
| Address | 5th Street and Boston Avenue (southeast corner) |
| Town or city | Tulsa, Oklahoma |
| Country | US |
| Coordinates | 36°09′05″N 95°59′19″W / 36.151496°N 95.988662°W |
| Groundbreaking | 1929 |
| Completed | 1931 |
| Renovated | 1937 (major addition floors 3–13 and penthouse) |
| Height | 167 feet |
| Technical details | |
| Material | Reinforced concrete |
| Floor count | 13 (excluding penthouse) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Leon B. Senter |
| Architecture firm | Smith, Senter & Smith |
The Philcade Building is a cool office building in downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma. It stands at the corner of East 5th Street and South Boston Avenue. A famous architect named Leon B. Senter designed it for a rich oilman, Waite Phillips. Work on the building started in 1929 and finished in 1931.
The Philcade Building is famous for its unique Art Deco zigzag style. This style uses sharp, angular patterns that look like zigzags. The building is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's an important historical site. It's also part of the Oil Capital Historic District in Tulsa.
The building was first called the Philcade, which came from Waite Phillips's name. Later, in 1942, a company called Stanolind bought it. They were part of Standard Oil Company. So, the building was renamed the Stanolind Building. When Amoco bought Standard Oil, the building became the Amoco North Building. For a while, it was also called the 501 Boston Building. But now, most people call it the Philcade again.
Building Design and Style
The Philcade Building was designed to look good next to the Philtower Building. The Philtower was right across 5th Street and also owned by Waite Phillips. The Philcade has an Art Deco Zigzag style. The Philtower, however, is in a different style called Gothic Revival.
The Philcade Building has 13 stories. This doesn't include a special apartment added later on top. The outside of the building is covered with light brown bricks. The first three floors on the north side have a special covering called terra cotta. Terra cotta is a type of baked clay.
The ground floor, mezzanine (a floor between two main floors), and second floor were made for shops. The floors from the third story up were designed for offices. In 1937, a penthouse was added on top. This penthouse was a private home for Waite Phillips and his wife.
Outside Look
The Philcade Building's design changed a lot before it was finished. Waite Phillips first wanted it to be six stories tall. Then he changed his mind to nine stories. Finally, he decided on 13 stories.
Above the second floor, the office part of the building looks like the letter "H" from above. The two "wings" of the "H" stretch north and south. The space between these wings was an open area called a light well. This light well let in light and fresh air to the offices inside.
The outside of the first three floors is covered with terra cotta. The decorations on these floors show a French Moderne style. They have designs of plants, animals, and Egyptian symbols. The terra cotta roofline also has Egyptian-style decorations. The main entrances have Egyptian-style columns. These columns go up to the second floor. They stop at a terra cotta beam that has a crest with "WP" (for Waite Phillips) carved into it.
Changes in 1937
In 1937, Waite Phillips made a big change. He had the open light well on the south side closed up. A penthouse was built on top of this new enclosed area. This penthouse became the home for Waite Phillips and his wife. They moved there after they gave their large mansion, Villa Philbrook, to the city of Tulsa. That mansion is now the Philbrook Museum of Art.
The cooling towers for the Philcade's air conditioning were put on top of the two north wings. This way, they couldn't be easily seen from the street.
Inside Look
The Philcade Building is very well known for its beautiful inside design. The lobby, especially, is very fancy. Marble columns, called pilasters, hold up a decorative strip called a frieze. This frieze is covered with gold leaf. The arched ceiling has colorful geometric designs. These designs are hand-painted in red, blue, green, purple, and brown. The ceiling also has gold leaf trim. Fancy bronze chandeliers hang from the middle of each ceiling design.
Floors 3 to 13 were used for many different offices. These floors had similar designs and were not as decorated as the lobby. The penthouse, added in 1937, is very large. It has 23 rooms and covers about 4,000 square feet (370 m2) of space. The rooms in the penthouse have walls covered with wood panels. They also have special Art Deco details.
Secret Tunnel
The Philcade Building and the Philtower Building are connected by a tunnel. This tunnel was built in 1929 and goes under 5th Street. It's about 80 feet (24 m) long. The main reason for the tunnel was to make it easier to move things between the two buildings.
Some people also say that Waite Phillips was worried about being kidnapped. In those days, some rich people were kidnapped for money. So, the tunnel might have given him a safer way to go between his home and his office.
This tunnel was the first of its kind in Tulsa. More tunnels were built in the next ten years, connecting other important buildings. For many years, the tunnel was open for everyone to use. But now, the tunnel door under the Philcade is always locked. This means the public cannot use this part of the tunnel anymore.
See also
In Spanish: Philcade Building para niños
