Ruby Tuesday

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Again, I have met the letter of the law by colorizing this photo for Ruby Tuesday. It's red, and that meets Mary's requirement. The real reason for this post is to introduce you to perhaps my all time favorite building in my home town, Tulsa, Oklahoma. The Tulsa Union Depot! Even though I haven't lived in Tulsa in a quarter of a century, it's where I grew up, and it will ALWAYS be my hometown.

Like the Fairgrounds Pavilion that I showed you last week, the Tulsa Union Depot was constructed in 1931. The monochromatic stone and precise ornament speak to the machines that it served, the mighty steam engines of the Frisco Railroad. It is a powerful looking building, again paying homage to the power to the trains and to the railroad industry of the day.

My father worked for the Frisco Railroad from 1938 -1983, only taking time out from 1943-1945 for WWII. I have spent many an hour in this building when I was a child. I probably took my last train ride out of this station around 1964. In 1967 passenger service was discontinued and the building was closed.

In 1983 the Williams Companies purchased the building and did a remarkable restoration of the structure.Click on any photo to enlarge and truly enjoy the details. While they are Art Deco in nature, they are inspired by Indian tribal art.

These train stations were the equivalent of today's regional airports. This station had two passenger concourses that led down to the tracks where one would board the train and begin their adventure to anywhere in the U.S.

Since my father worked for the railroad, I traveled free of charge. On an overnight trip, I even got a bedroom. That was waaaay cool! We would leave Tulsa at 9:00 p.m. and pull into St. Louis around 7:00 a.m. the next day. It was a wonderful way to travel. It's been a couple of decades since I visited this building and even longer since I have been inside. It was closed this day, so I'll have to visit again. As I walked around the building, with camera in hand, I was stunned at the beauty of the details and ornament. They don't build 'em like they used to, and they certainly don't build 'em like this anymore.


Today the Tulsa Union Depot is the home of the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame. Somehow, I suppose I was hoping it would be a railroad museum, complete with vintage Frisco passenger trains. Still, I am thrilled that a building of my childhood is standing proud in my hometown and serving a noble purpose. I do love this building.

A black and white photo just seemed an appropriate way to end this post. Enjoy your day.