Boston Avenue Methodist Church

One of the finest Art Deco buildings in the United States

The Boston Avenue United Methodist Church, completed in 1929, is regarded by many as one of the finest examples of Art Deco religious architecture in the world. The 255-foot tower dominates the Tulsa skyline from the south, its terra-cotta facade decorated with stylised wheat sheaves, praying hands, and frontier imagery that marry Christian iconography with Oklahoma's agricultural and oil heritage.

Inside, the 2,500-seat main sanctuary is just as impressive as the exterior: stained-glass windows in Art Deco geometric patterns, hand-carved woodwork, and a ceiling painted in graduating tones of blue and gold. The church offers free guided tours on Sunday afternoons, and the building is on the National Register of Historic Places. Even if organised religion is not your thing, this is a must-see stop on any Art Deco walking tour of Tulsa.

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The design is attributed to Adah Robinson, an art teacher at the University of Tulsa, and her student Bruce Goff — though the architectural firm Rush, Endacott and Rush holds the official credit. The church congregation was so proud of the building they opened it on Palm Sunday 1929, just months before the stock market crash ended the oil boom that made it possible.

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