OKC Foundation for Architecture
Saturday Stroll: Downtown Guthrie in December
Join us for a tour of Guthrie's historic downtown this December with a guided tour celebrating its remarkable architecture and festive holiday spirit. Starting at the iconic State Capitol Publishing Museum we'll meander through the charming streets lined with Victorian-era buildings, each adorned with seasonal decor, offering a window into the past and showcasing Guthrie’s architectural history.
Our tour guide, Ronald H. Frantz, Jr., FAIA will share stories of Guthrie’s founding, its territorial capitol days, and the enduring architectural styles that have kept its character alive.
The tour concludes with a festive finish at WanderFolk Spirits, where you’re welcome to join us for locally crafted spirits and holiday-inspired beverages. It’s the perfect end to a stroll through history and holiday cheer! (Cost of drinks are the responsibility of tour goers).
Ronald Frantz, Jr., FAIA
The Frantz Alliance
Frantz is a graduate of the Tulane School of Architecture in New Orleans. His work focused on historic preservation, Main Street restoration, and neighborhood revitalization. For 43 years, Frantz worked in many small Oklahoma towns. Much of his work was with the Oklahoma Main Street Center and the OU College of Architecture. Recently, Frantz retired to focus on his small Oklahoma City-based consulting firm, co-founded with his wife, Mary.
Saturday, December 7
4:00 - 5:30 p.m.
Downtown Guthrie
Meet at the State Capitol Publishing Museum
301 West Harrison Avenue, Guthrie
Cost:
OCFA Members: Free
Nonmember Guests: $15
The Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Tour
Soaring barrel-vaulted ceilings, layers of symbolic stained-glass windows, gorgeous murals, marble and statues greet you as you step back in time and enter the 100-year-old Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, a classic “basilica” design that dates back to the 5th Century Byzantine era. Your eyes will be wide open in wonder upon seeing its structural beauty while your ears are greeted with majestic movements from the pipe organ skillfully played by Cathedral Music Director and Organist, Nolan Patrick Reilly. Tour guides for your journey through this dazzling sacred space are Our Lady’s parishioners, Ron Frantz, a well-known historic preservation architect, and Charlie Towe, the owner of Homco Construction, the construction company that has been involved in many of the recent building projects at the Cathedral. After relishing the beauty of this architectural gem while learning some interesting facts about its history and design, please join us for a wine and cheese reception in the Cathedral’s Connor Center.
Thursday, September 26
5-6:30 pm
The Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help
3214 N. Lake Avenue, Oklahoma City, OK
Cost:
OCFA Members: $10
Nonmember Guests: $20
Citizen Project Tour
Join us on Tuesday, July 23rd for a tour of the Citizen led by Allford Hall Monaghan Morris, Lingo Construction Services and Wallace Design Collective.
The Citizen is a high-rise development in downtown Oklahoma City that from its inception set out to be a venue to promote civic discourse. Situated on a sensitive site overlooking the Oklahoma City National Memorial, the form of the building is lifted to create a landscaped undercroft, inviting a dialogue with the open space opposite, and enlivening the streetscape with restaurant and banking hall uses at ground floor. At lower levels, the Citizen houses a diverse mix of uses, with office suites to the upper stories.
The elevations were inspired by neighboring 1930s architecture, and the detailing is an abstraction of their characteristic paired window arrangements and strong vertical emphasis. The generous openings are designed with flexibility in mind, accommodating the disparate functions envisaged now, but also with the ability to flex to different uses in the future. The party wall elevation, appearing above an existing parking garage, adopts a more playful composition, with its freer functional expression of the core exhibiting the vertical movement of people within. With its well-mannered exterior, and its offering of mixed public and private functions, the building itself is conceived as a citizen of the city.
Space on the tour is limited so register early. No refunds. Proceeds from the OCFA Tour Series goes to help fund our Scholarship program as well as the Lynne Rostochil National Register Grant program.
Tuesday, July 23, 2024
4:00 - 5:00 p.m.
Cost to attend:
OCFA Member: $10.00
Nonmember Guest: $20.00
Not sure if you're a current member? Email us to okcarchitecture@cox.net.
OKLAHOMANMADE Photography Exhibit
Join us for the OKLAHOMANMADE Architecture Photography Exhibit where we’ll reveal the winners of this year’s competition. Light snacks and drinks will be available.
Wednesday, April 17
5:30 – 7:00 p.m.
AIA/OCFA Office
2220 N. Classen Blvd., Suite A, OKC
Timeless Treasures: A Look at OKC’s American House Styles
Oklahoma City's neighborhoods represent an eclectic collection of historic America house styles, from Tudor to Craftsman and from Colonial Revival to Ranch. On this walking tour, we'll explore the variety of architectural styles on one block of an historic neighborhood, learning about style-defining details and appreciating the commonalities – and subtle differences – between them. (We will be viewing homes from the sidewalk and will not be going inside any of the homes).
The tour will be led by OKC Foundation for Architecture Vice Chair, Lisa Chronister.
Lisa M. Chronister, FAIA, AICP, LEED AP is the Assistant Director of the Oklahoma City Planning Department where she leverages her architectural expertise to influence public decision making, improving public and private development to ensure a vibrant, attractive environment for the entire community.
Before joining the Planning Department in 2014, Lisa worked for over two decades in traditional architectural practice, establishing herself as an accomplished manager of complex and large-scale building projects, both new and renovation. Throughout her career, Lisa has devoted her time and talent to teaching, mentoring, and professional service, including two terms as President of AIA Central Oklahoma, founder of the chapter's Women in Architecture group, and service as a longtime AIA representative to National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) visiting teams. Lisa has been appointed to multiple AIA national award juries and committees and is herself a recipient of national honors, including induction into the AIA College of Fellows.
Lisa earned a Master of Architecture from Pratt Institute and a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Oklahoma. She also holds a master's degree in public administration from the University of Central Oklahoma.
Tuesday, April 16, 2024
5:30 – 6:0 p.m.
Meeting point: intersection of NW 18th St and Barnes Ave.
Parking: street parking is available on nearby streets.
Cost to attend:
OCFA Member: Free*
Nonmember Guest: $10
*please note, OCFA membership is separate from AIA Membership. Not sure if you’re a current member? Email us to okcarchitecture@cox.net.
Space on the tour is limited to 25 people. First come, first served.
424 Tour
Join us for a tour of the 424 Building! 
The 424/Phillips Murrah building is a multi-use commercial building under construction in the heart of Midtown. Retail, service, and hospitality are the focus of the street-level spaces to continue the growth of the walkable pedestrian experience of the area. The upper four floors are focused on business office use. Sensitive to the context of its neighborhood, masonry materials were used at the lower levels to complement the lower-scale masonry buildings of Midtown, while providing consistent smaller-scale colonnades to heighten the pedestrian experience. The top three floors that are to become the offices of Phillips Murrah step forward and are set apart from the context, reflecting the progressive and innovative culture of the firm.
Along the front of the building, the first two floors stretch out wide and pull away gradually from the street, making way for a northern patio that turns the corner toward a deep eastern plaza serving as both patio and pedestrian connection deeper into the site. This plaza is to eventually become a breezeway between anticipated future development. Presenting themselves as a singular form (with a single tenant), the upper three floors face the street more directly, perching atop and reaching out from the base below, and balancing an otherwise simple composition with just a few subtle moves.
Every design challenge provides a unique opportunity to improve our built environment. Both new infill construction and renovation/reuse can be equally challenging and equally fulfilling. The 424 project aspires to enhance the vibrancy of Midtown, acting as a catalyst for further thoughtful development in the area.
Thursday, February 29, 2024
5:30 – 6:30 p.m.
424 NW 10th Street, OKC
The tour will be led by Fitzsimmons Architects and Lingo Construction.
424 is an active construction site so hard hats are required. Lingo Construction will have a few on hand but tour goers are encouraged to bring a hard hat.
Cost to attend:
*OCFA Members: $10
Nonmember Guests: $20
*please note, OCFA membership is separate from AIA Membership. Not sure if you’re a current member? Email us to okcarchitecture@cox.net.
Space on the tour is limited to 30 people. First come, first served.
OKLAHOMANMADE Photography Competition
1. All entrants must complete an entry form and upload the entry. Link provided below. Files may not exceed 15 MB in size and must be entered as a JPG, PNG or TIFF format. Photos must be sized to print in 8×10 format. OCFA is not responsible for mistakes in printing files that aren't sized properly. OCFA will print and frame the photographs for display.
2. Entries must have been exposed by, and owned by, the entrant.
3. The subject matter must have an architectural theme or must contain some element of the manmade environment and be located in the State of Oklahoma. Photographic interpretation of the subject matter is what will be judged, not the architecture.
4. All photographs should accurately reflect the subject matter and the scene as it appeared. Photos that have been digitally altered beyond standard optimization will be disqualified. Acceptable: adjustments to color, contrast, brightness and sharpness; removal of dust and scratches; cropping; black and white conversions; and the use of HDR (high dynamic range imaging), where multiple exposures of the same scene are combined for greater tonal range. Not acceptable: photo composites (combination of two or more photos, not the same scene); the addition, duplication, deletion or moving of objects in the photos; or the use of artistic digital filters and effects. Examples of artistic filters and effects are watercolor, neon glow, posturizing, stained glass, and others which do not show the scene in its natural way.
5. Entry fee for each image for General and Professional Photographer is $20 for OKC Foundation for Architecture Members and $35 for nonmembers. K-12 Students $5, College Students $10. There is a maximum of 5 entries per person.
6. Categories are:
General
Oklahoma Students (K-12 & College)
Professional Photographer
7. Awards include:
– General: 1st Place $200, 2nd Place, $100 3rd Place $50
– Professional Photographer : 1st Place $200, 2nd Place, $100 3rd Place $50
– Oklahoma Students: 1st Place $100, 2nd Place $75, 3rd Place $50
– People's Choice (voting across all images as determined by votes during the AIA Architecture Tour): $75
8. Judges will include an Oklahoma City Foundation for Architecture Board Member, an Architect and a Professional Photographer.
9. Entrant grants permission to the Oklahoma City Foundation for Architecture (and its partner AIA Central Oklahoma) to reproduce images for exhibition, publications and for promotional purposes with proper photo credit. These reproductions will become property of the Oklahoma City Foundation for Architecture. The photographer will maintain rights to his or her original work.
10. The decisions of the judges are final on all matters relating to the competition.
11. Submission of the image(s) implies entrants acceptance to all of the above conditions.
12. All entries will be exhibited during the AIA Architecture Tour on Saturday, April 13th and the winners will be awarded at a small reception on Wednesday, April 17th at the AIA / OCFA Office at 2220 N. Classen Blvd., Suite A.
13. The deadline for submissions is Friday, March 15, 2024.
14. Questions? Please email to okcarchitecture@cox.net.
CLICK HERE TO ENTER THE OKLAHOMANMADE PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION
RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP TODAY!
We hope you’ll join us in 2024! Join or renew your membership today!
Oklahoma Capitol Tour
Join us as we tour the Oklahoma State Capitol on Thursday, December 7th at 5:30 p.m. Our tour will be led by Trait Thompson.
Executive Director Trait Thompson has led the Oklahoma Historical Society since January of 2021.
Thompson began his career with the state as policy director for former Oklahoma Senate President Pro Tempore Brian Bingman. During that four-year service, Thompson read every bill submitted to the senate, met with citizens from across the state and learned how to work with others to achieve shared goals. In 2014 he assumed the project manager role for the Oklahoma Capitol Restoration Project, shepherding the preservation and restoration of one of Oklahoma’s most important historical artifacts-the State Capitol. He is author of The Oklahoma State Capitol (2022).
Thompson is the co-host of A Very OK Podcast, which explores the interesting stories and fascinating personalities that make up Oklahoma’s unique history. Look for new episodes each month. OHS members receive updates from Thompson in each issue of Mistletoe Leaves, the bimonthly membership newsletter of the OHS.
Attendees will have a chance to win a copy of Trait's book, The Oklahoma State Capitol!
OCFA Members: Free
Nonmember Guests: $15.00
REGISTER HERE
Buildings & Bikes
In partnership with Ride OKC, this leisurely 4-mile guided bike excursion will showcase the architectural treasures of Oklahoma City, spanning Route 66, Uptown 23rd Street, The Paseo, Mesta Park, and Heritage Hills. You'll explore notable locations featured in Sam Anderson's renowned book, "Boom Town," and enjoy refreshments at the conclusion of the tour.
The ticket to this tour is $30. If you need to rent a bike, add one at checkout for $10 and it will be waiting for you at the starting location.