Sky’s the Limit

18 degrees, overcast
4460 kms.
Mid Afternoon

We left Roanoke about 8:15 this morning. The weather was a bit overcast but it was still a warm 24. We had a great drive, not much traffic, when we encountered a bit of rain in Oklahoma the temperature dropped to 9 rather rapidly. On arrival in Bartlesville it was sunny and back up to 18 degrees. We are staying at the Price Tower, Frank Lloyd Wright’s only built skyscraper, circa 1956. It is 19 stories, 221 feet high and is a National Historic Landmark. Wright nicknamed the Tower, built in the middle of the Oklahoma prairie, “the tree that escaped the crowded forest”.

Supported by a central “trunk” of four elevator shafts that are anchored in place by a deep central foundation, as a tree is by its main root. The nineteen stories are cantilevered from this central core, like branches of a tree. The outer walls hang from the floors and are covered in patinated copper “leaves”. The building looks different from every angle. Originally designed for downtown New York in the late 1920’s, the depression came along and the project was shelved. Wright adapted his drawings for the Price Company, “plucked his tree” away from the Manhattan skyscrapers and placed it in the prairies of Oklahoma where it stands uncrowded by neighboring tall buildings.

Now a member of the Historic Hotels of America, the Tower also houses an Art Center, the Copper Restaurant and Bar, Museum Store and smaller firms who lease space. Our room has all copper accents, copper legs on furniture, piping. It is a real throw back to another time, the sixties. It is quirky and fun. The elevators hold two people, there are four to a floor, with four suites on each floor.

We toured the Art Center, where the Origami Exhibit proved to be very interesting. Origami is the art of paper folding.

Bartlesville, voted Oklahoma’s most liveable city, only has a population of 35,000. We stumbled on this location while researching

our route back north. With our interest in Wright’s architecture it seemed like a good idea to stop here. It is Sunday, a lot of restaurants are closed, the town looks pretty quiet. We found the Curling on TV and will worry about a light supper later!

Wow, what a game. We were on the edge of our seats as Canada went into the extra end against the Swedes, the Olympic Gold Medalists. Yeah CANADA! Great way to end the day! We are hearing North Bay also did a great job hosting the World ‘s, yeah NORTH BAY!

A note of interest- we stumbled on this info. The Bartlesville Community Center was designed by William Wesley Peters, formerly the chief architect of Taliesin West - Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation.