Project Description

Tulsa built cathedrals for commerce. The Philtower lobby is the proof.

Step through the doors of the Philtower Building in downtown Tulsa and the street disappears entirely. Gothic ribbed vaulting spans the full length of the lobby in warm limestone, intricate tracery spreading across the ceiling like something borrowed directly from a medieval English cathedral. A tiered Gothic chandelier drops through the center of the space, throwing amber light across travertine walls and a polished marble floor that reflects it all back doubled. And at the far end, a single red circular sofa sits beneath the arched window like a punctuation mark — the only object in the room that belongs to this century.

Built in 1927 at the height of Tulsa’s oil boom, the Philtower was the project of Waite Phillips — oilman, philanthropist, and a man who clearly believed his building should announce his success before anyone reached his office. Gothic Revival applied to a commercial skyscraper was an unusual choice, and it paid off completely.

The lobby alone is worth the trip to Tulsa. Everything else is a bonus.