Tour Tulsa

320 South Boston, Tulsa

When the final addition was added to this bank and office space in 1928, it became the tallest building in the state of Oklahoma. It held that title until the mid-1960’s! It has always been a bank and office space, but for decades it also served as a weather teller. Because it was the tallest building, red or green light would project out of the uppermost window and could be seen from miles away, giving people in and around Tulsa an idea of what to expect weather wise. New LED lights are in the window today, but they have nothing to do with weather conditions.

4th & Boston, looking north.

The University of Tulsa

Originally established in 1882 as the Presbyterian School for Indian Girls - a boarding school in Muskogee, Indian Territory - the academy’s status was elevated and chartered as Henry Kendall College in 1894. Soon after, the school suffered financial difficulties and looked to sell the school’s land and seek a new location.

At that same time, Tulsa was booming after the discovery of oil at the Glenn Pool. Wealthy businessmen wanted a college - ‘the Harvard of the Midwest’ - in this thriving city, and Henry Kendall College moved to Tulsa in 1907, the year of Oklahoma’s statehood. That first location in Tulsa was downtown between 4th & 5th Streets and Boston Avenue.

After several very successful football seasons there were calls for the college to change its name to something that would tell everyone from where that great team hailed. So in 1920, Kendall College became the University of Tulsa. They also moved their location from downtown Tulsa to what was then the eastern edge of the city, and the end of the trolley line. That’s where TU sits today, 11th Street and Delaware Avenue, along historic Route 66.

By the 1960s, enrollment was flourishing but TU was suffering financially, and there was speculation that TU would be taken over by the state. That’s when oilman James A.
Chapman died and left the struggling university 35 million dollars. The Chapman endowment has grown immensely and has kept TU
safely private through the ups and downs Tulsa has seen through the years.

The University of Tulsa continues to grow and thrive. TU consistently finds itself nationally ranked in different categories, and receives many national accolades as well. This beautiful campus was built by the oilmen of the early 20th century, yet still remains relevant and important into the 21st century. 📷: utulsa.edu