AIA - Oklahoma Chapter Chartered in 1927

A November 1927 Tulsa Tribune Article headline reads "Famous American Architects Okeh New Station Plan" and "Visitors Laud Residences in Tulsa and City’s Building Program". These headlines don’t allude to the real reason these illustrious guests were visiting Tulsa.

This group, Executive Officers from the American Institute of Architects, consisted of: AIA President, Milton B. Medary, Jr., AIA of Philadelphia; First Vice President William Emerson of Boston; Secretary C. Herrick Hammonds, AIA of Chicago; Directors F. Ellis Jackson, AIA of Providence, Rhode Island; J. Monroe Hewlett, AIA of New York; Olle J. Lohren, AIA of Houston and Goldwin Goldsmith, AIA from Lawrence Kansas. Their remarks on our city were poignant.

The "Station Plans" that they referenced was the big story of 1927, plans for a new train depot. The plans that had been publicized thus far were preliminary and not the depot that was eventually built. The mention of Tulsa’s fine residences explains itself and it was a period of tremendous expansion of Tulsa’s skyline.

Medary praised the way in which Tulsa planning its parks. "That important", he said, "many cities wait to do that until they have to spend millions for park space". The article bolsters the credibility of his remarks, "for he was chairman of the board which laid out the great parkways of Washington D.C. Most of Tulsa’s parkland had been donated up until this point in history.

Coming from Boston where there was a 125-foot height limitation, Emerson warned, "Tulsa ought to watch the heights of its buildings in order that the skyline would be a thing of beauty." All of the "distinguished visitors praised the "fine residences of Tulsa and its great building program.

This national delegation was here to welcome its newest state Charter, the Oklahoma Chapter. Newly installed Oklahoma leaders included: C.W. Dawson from Muskogee who was elected President; Vice President Leonard H. Bailey of Oklahoma City and Secretary-Treasurer H. Blumenaeur from Enid. The directors included; J.W. Robb of Tulsa; A.T. Thomas, Tulsa; Leon B. Senter of Okmulgee; R.W. Shore, Enid; W.D. Blacker of Tulsa; F.W. Redlich of Tulsa; Marshall Cross of Tulsa; F.A. Duggan, Tulsa and A.E. Griffith of Muskogee.

These elections had been organized during an "all-day session at the Mayo Hotel". The story reports that "headquarters of the state chapter will be in Tulsa.

Little has been written about the AIA’s history in Oklahoma. None of the Chapters hold early archives. Eastern Oklahoma’s documents go back to its Chapter charter in 1961. The Central Oklahoma suffered a flood in the early 1990s and lost all of its early papers plus an impressive library.

In the course of our current research efforts, the Tulsa Foundation for Architecture is making many discoveries. We’re slowly gaining insight into Tulsa’s early architectural history.

There’s more to this story. These Oklahoma architects demonstrated extraordinary leadership for the profession several years earlier. We’ll tell you about that soon.

Oklahoma Chapter American Institute of Architects

President: C.W. Dawson, AIA from Muskogee
Vice-President: Leonard H. Bailey, AIA of Oklahoma City
Secretary-Treasurer: H. Blumenaeur, AIA from Enid.

Directors

J.W. Robb, AIA - Tulsa
A.T. Thomas, AIA - Tulsa
Leon B. Senter, AIA - Okmulgee
R.W. Shore, AIA - Enid
W.D. Blacker, AIA - Tulsa
F.W. Redlich, AIA - Tulsa
Marshall Cross, AIA - Tulsa
F.A. Duggan, AIA - Tulsa
A.E. Griffith, AIA Muskogee