When I was in high school I did not have much interests in any arts but that changed when I went to visit the Price Tower in Bartlesville, OK. My mom is an interior designer and loves architecture so she brought me to the Price Tower for a tour one day. When you pull up the tower in the Plains of Oklahoma brings a sort of awe to the building, made of concrete and copper that has turned green it leaves a lasting impression. When you enter inside there is a large beautiful geometric mural made of copper and colored glass. This building was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright which brings another point of intrigue to the building, Wright is a famous architect so to have his work in Oklahoma is cool. The inside also have geometric irregularly rooms instead of traditional rectangular rooms which brings another unique factor to the building.

The big “skyscraper” in the middle of small town Oklahoma brings a sort of awe from the ground. Additionally, the building seems to bring “The Big City” to Oklahoma. To me the meaning of the building is representative of big businesses that one normally thinks of in NYC or Chicago and bring it to Oklahoma. Being from Oklahoma I have always had a sort of intrigue with the bustle and glamor of big cities. Being in the Price Tower brings these big city feelings to Oklahoma which is a very cool atmosphere. The Price Tower was the first time I found interest in architecture and saw how architecture can affect mood and evoke feelings. The building transported me to a different place and time and brought a feeling of awe while I took in the buildings atmosphere and architecture. The Price Tower helped me realize that architecture is important to everyday life and actually can have a profound impact on how we feel.

heading image retrieved from: https://blogs.getty.edu/iris/a-key-to-preserving-our-architectural-past/

in text image retrieved from: https://franklloydwright.org/site/price-tower/

The Denver International Airport and Tulsa’s Eastland Mall: A Comparison

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           There is a very, very specific crowd who will understand this blog. I assume many people are familiar with the Denver International Airport (DIA), but most I’d say are unfamiliar with Tulsa’s Eastland Mall. Today, it’s called Eastgate Metroplex as it was refurbished after the initial decline in shopping malls occurred. A small part of me when I heard it was closing for renovations yearned for the interior courtyard to be demolished. This is the area that the two circus-like tent skylight structures sit above.

            I drove past this mall every day to my school, sometimes twice depending on the route we would take to and from. And I despised it. Still do, I failed my first attempt at a driver’s license here so I’m bitter about that and this strange piece of architecture. I can see why it was created, makes the courtyard and two story mall shopping area feel more elevated and open. However, the Tulsa Woodland Hill’s Mall achieves this effect in a much better and cleaner way. Malls aren’t typically the most handsome of structures, something that was discussed in the PBS documentary, “10 Buildings that Changed America,” with Victor Gruen’s Southdale Shopping Center. Like casino architecture, they’re built to keep you inside and shopping, but wanted to include natural light for the shoppers. 

            On the other side, the mountain range-esque top of the DIA pays homage to the Rocky Mountains in a much more balanced and sophisticated way. There is no curious curve or appearance of the circus being in town, the mountain peaks are successful in conveying their idea. It took me a few years to actually see the DIA as I approached it from land, never seeing it’s full glory due to peculiar angles from the air, but aware of it due to the interior roofing of the terminals. Even the interior’s curved ‘valley’s comes across more clean and appropriate for the setting that Eastland. 

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Eastland Mall Exterior: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastgate_Metroplex

Eastland Mall Interior: https://www.flickr.com/photos/losttulsa/46100607

Denver International Airport Exterior: https://ourcommunitynow.com/news-local/denver-international-airport-named-best-airport-in-north-america

Denver International Airport Interior: https://ourcommunitynow.com/news-local/denver-international-airport-named-best-airport-in-north-america

My first and only experience of the Tate Modern was in 2015. I was on a River Thames tour and we passed by it with some very critical remarks being passed on by our tour guide of the so called “lovely” architecture renovated to house an art museum. I must have missed that it was originally a power factory and had assumed it was built like this to house the art museum in mind. The smokestack was what had really grabbed my attention and steered me to have an ongoing negative relationship with it. I still think to this day that the removal of the chimney structure could increase the appeal of the building, especially to the viewers on the Thames. 

Delving into the history of the Tate Modern has made the idea more clear. I can see the appeal in the industrial, steel framing of the bones of this repurposed building to be used as a place to showcase modern art. One can see the possible conflict between the artists’ own pieces that may have subtext revolving around industrialism or climate change. But at the same time that allows the conversation of repurposing architecture for new, more responsible means. Not only was this space reused, but the materials were saved, and now it’s an educational experience, bringing more positive influence to locals and tourists alike than it had be neutrally providing power in the 1980s.  

Still, the sarcastic comments of the tour guide and just the overall style of the building still lead me to not be a fan of this building, but it has most definitely rooted a spot in my brain for one of least appealing structures I’ve seen. Art museums are often an exhibit in themselves, and the history is there but the aesthetic appeal does not mesh with my taste. Perhaps things would have been different if I had had the time to visit its’ interior before the snide comments of ‘London’s Ugliest Outdoor Art Exhibit’.

Featured Image from: https://www.loveexploring.com/galleryextended/70841/british-landmarks-2021?page=1

Top Image from: https://arquitecturaviva.com/works/ampliacion-tate-modern-londres-8

While I was never a fan of libraries growing up, the OU Bizzell Memorial Library, or “Bizz” was the first library I found interest in. The first time I saw the library on my OU tour I was impressed, the exterior architecture caught my eye. Inside, the Great Reading Room with it’s huge windows giving natural light and the dark wood left a lasting impression on me. This room became on of my favorite places to study. I felt comfortable, more than I had at other universities. I knew that OU was the college I wanted to attend. Something about the architecture within the original parts of the OU library makes me feel more motivated to knock out assignments and study for exams. However, to me this building means more than just a place to study, it has been a central location for much of my life at the University. After being at OU for over 3 years the library has become a building with many memories, from meeting up with my friends to freaking out the night before an exam. The library is a place that will always stand out to me not just because I like the architecture but because it is a place where I experienced the ups and downs of college life.

image retrieved from: https://libraries.ou.edu/content/learn-about-ou-libraries-self-guided-tour

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A building that had a positive influence on my is my elementary school building. The building affected me in a way that shaped who I am, the experiences, relationships and education I received in elementary school all had a big impact on me. The building isn’t the most attractive building, mostly made of concrete, but it has a lot of fun memories and the teachers I had were always good to me. The building has significant meaning to me because I learned a lot, made many friends and had fun there. When I graduated high school I got to go back and visit my elementary school, being there brought back so many sweet memories of going to the library, playing with my friends and performing plays for our parents. Some of my teachers in elementary school will forever be people I look up to. The school also took on an open classroom concept in many areas of the building which was unique to any other school I have been to. Because of this open classroom concept we were able to have a school assembly in the main area every Friday, these assemblies were one of my favorite activities in elementary school. I would say the experiences I had within the building shaped the person I am today, I am thankful for the experiences and memorize I have because of the building.

Image retrieved from: https://chisholm.edmondschools.net