Tulsa Foundation For Architecture

Programs: Tfas 2nd saturday architectural walking tours continued to grow in popularity and draw more people downtown. Programming increased to four tour groups, a monthly walking tour of downtown initiated in 2013, continues to draw people downtown. With the introduction of the underground tulsa tunnel tour, attendance has doubled from last year to an average of 100 persons per tour. We have trained more docents and increased the number of tours we provide each month. The very popular dwell in the idl downtown living tour featured 16 apartments. This annual event was a huge success. This years dwell tour was attended by 847 people and brought in over $29,000 from ticket sales and sponsorships, as well as a great deal of media attention. Tfa and modern tulsa held several mod of the moment open houses to raise awareness and appreciation for modern residential architecture, with several hundred people attending each one. Tfa participated in explore downtown tulsa program for schoolchildren sponsored by the george kaiser family foundation. This year we provided walking tours of downtown to numerous school groups, for grades ranging from 1st grade to high school. The annual neighborhood tour featured the historic riverview neighborhood, a unique neighborhood of architecturally diverse residences built on the hillside overlooking the arkansas river. The tour brought in more than $9000 in profits from tickets sales & sponsorships. Our annual membership appreciation event, in april of 2016, was one of the first events held at the recently renovated and notable historic mcbirney mansion. The event brought in over $13,000 in profits and sponsorships, with 200 members attending. Seventy people joined or renewed in april prior to the members open house.

we continue to market and distribute our publication, tulsa art deco, as well as the laminated companion, decoguide, through local bookstores and museum shops, amazon books, and our enhanced website tfa store: www. Tulsaarchitecture. Org. Tfa distributes and promotes the books of john brooks walton: one hundred historic tulsa homes; one hundred more historic tulsa homes; many more historic tulsa homes; the architecture of charles stevens dilbeck; the architecture of john duncan forsyth; the architecture of john brooks walton, tulsas future historic homes; and historic tulsa homes circa 1920. Executive director amanda decort worked with other preservation groups, developers, and foundations to raise money to hire economic consultants place economics, inc, to study the economic impact and fiscal responsibility of the oklahoma historic tax credit program statewide. The study, published in may, and resulting advocacy and awareness, were instrumental in the recommendation of the state of oklahomas incentive review committee to retain the historic tax credit. Tfa worked with the statewide preservation partner, preservation oklahoma, to determine the annual list of the most endangered properties in oklahoma with their executive director, david pettyjohn.

the tfa architectural archives continue to be our greatest asset with major collections of renowned architects, including the original hand-drawn designs of joseph koberling, john duncan forsyth and leon senter. The collection contains nearly 1000 sets of drawings and artifacts from a variety of building sites in the tulsa area. In 2016 we added large collections from olsen-coffey architects, schneider and coleman architects, and joe bruce, as well as a number of smaller acquisitions.

tfa began a rebranding process in 2016 in order to improve the outreach and social media capability of the organization. Tfa executive director amanda decort along with several trustees and advisors spoke to various community groups and professional organizations during the year including the greater tulsa association of realtors, several real estate brokerage firms, the tulsa metro chamber of commerce, leadership tulsa, and rotary club of tulsa. Tfa continues to partner with allied organizations such as the eastern oklahoma chapter of the aia; national trust for historic preservation; association of architectural organizations; arts and humanities council of tulsa; philbrook museum of art; circle cinema foundation; tulsa historical society; oklahoma historical society; leadership tulsa; preservation oklahoma; price tower arts center; and ou school of urban design. In november of 2016, tfa signed a lease for a new office and archive space, located in the historic ponca city savings & loan building. This significant mid-century modern structure designed by local architect robert e. Buchner, aia, has been vacant for many years. Tfa is overseeing restoration of the building.