Blue Dome building will become trolley depot March 20, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Gas stations, Preservation.trackback
The T-Town Trolley, a which is actually a nicely decorated bus that gives rides to various entertainment districts throughout Tulsa, is marking its first anniversary.
KJRH-TV is reporting on a development with the trolleys that’s even more significant to roadies:
But Lund is more excited about the location that will serve as the depot for T-Town Trolley, the historic Blue Dome Building at 2nd Street and Elgin in Downtown Tulsa. “This is a place where we can congregate, sit down and wait for the trolley.”
Some reports say it was built in 1912, others say 1924. The building served as Tulsa’s first 24-hour station. Lund says the historic building is perfect fit for his vintage trolley themed business.
He intends to maintain the art deco look of the building. “We’re working with a designer to design and decorate it for the theme of the building, because it’s a deco piece and it’s part of historical preservation. And it’s Route 66. So we’ve got a lot of cool things with this building.”
Here’s a photo of the Blue Dome from 1949, when it was still a Gulf station. It’s little-changed:
The T-Town Trolley hopes to have the Blue Dome depot ready by Mayfest, which is May 14-17.
Glad to see the new owner/tenant has an appreciation for the history of the place. Seems like a good fit to his business.
I seem to recall stories about this place here before. Wasn’t there another tenant in there in the last year or two?
No tenant has been in there in the last few years that I can recall. I found something in the archives that suggest that a coffeehouse was interested in moving into the Blue Dome, but it never got off the ground.
I’ve met the Blue Dome’s landlord, and he’s a stickler about making sure its appearance is preserved. I suspect his diligence scared off a few potential businesses that don’t appreciate the Blue Dome as much as he does. Not that it’s a bad thing.
Great news and bravo to the landlord for being such a stickler.