Status School and Museum Opened 13 May 1931 | Closed May 13, 1967 | |
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Location 111 East 1st St, Tulsa, Oklahoma Similar Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame, Tulsa Fire Alarm Building, Philcade Building, Atlas Life Building, Tulsa Art Deco Museum | ||
The Tulsa Union Depot (also known as the Tulsa Union Station) is the former central railway station for Tulsa, Oklahoma. It has since been turned into an office building. The Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame is currently headquartered in the former Depot.
Contents
History
The Depot was built in 1931 by the Public Works Administration and was considered "the single best PWA symbol of hope for economic recovery during the bleak days of the depression." It cost $3.5 million, paid for by a bond issue passed in 1927. The Depot was the first central station in the city of Tulsa, and it unified the small Frisco, Katy, and Santa Fe depots. Upon its completion, a crowd of over 60,000 people came to see the opening ceremonies, which included speeches, singing, dancing, and Indian stomp dancing. The event was even broadcast on radio. A new locomotive was unveiled, and the locomotive said to have brought the first passenger train into the city (Frisco's "Old 94") was showcased. The depot opened "Tulsa's important front door." At its peak, the depot served 36 trains a day.
Because of declining passenger train travel and the rise of air travel and the Interstate Highway system, the depot was abandoned after hosting its last passenger train in 1967. In 1980, the Williams Companies purchased the structure, and tasked designer Urban Design Group and contractor Manhattan Construction (the same company that built the depot in 1931) with restoring the same. In 1983 after completion, those companies leased space to make it their headquarters and offices.
In 2004 Tulsa County purchased the building from the Williams Companies for $2.2 million, and used the balance of $4 million in Vision 2025 funds for renovations. The building was turned over to the Tulsa County Industrial Authority, which then signed a 99-year lease with the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame for $1. The Jazz Hall began operations at the site in 2007, though did not formally take control of the building until 2009. The lease calls for the Jazz Hall to cover its own operating expenses; and, some controversy has arisen on occasions when bill payments have been late. The Jazz Hall now calls the building the Jazz Depot.
With possible restoration of passenger train service to Tulsa, Tulsa city councilors have discussed the likelihood of using a portion of the Jazz Depot for its original purpose, serving as a downtown rail terminal for the city.
Architecture
The Depot was built in an Art-Deco style by architect R.C. Stephens of St. Louis, MO. The Manhattan Construction Company served as the general contractor. The Art-Deco Style with machine styled elements was very popular, even a "something of a mania" in Tulsa.