Restoration planned for Tulsa’s Blue Dome

The owners of the Blue Dome gas station in downtown Tulsa want to restore it to its original look and open it as a special-events center, according to KOKI-TV in Tulsa.

Chris and JoAnn Armstrong bought for former gas station about 18 months ago. Built in 1912 as a Gulf station (with an apartment in the dome upstairs for the attendant), the Blue Dome was Tulsa’s first 24-hour service station.

The Armstrongs told the station they want to restore the Blue Dome to its original appearance, inside and out. That would include the original gas pumps, but they wouldn’t pump gas — they hope to transform them into electrical converters for electric vehicles or food trucks.

For now, the Blue Dome serves as offices for the Armstrongs, who also own the historic Arnie’s Bar next door. The Blue Dome also serves as the iconic landmark for Tulsa’s burgeoning and hip Blue Dome District, east of downtown. The Blue Dome itself closed as a gas station many years ago.

The Blue Dome sits on the original 1926-1932 alignment of Route 66 that winds its way through downtown Tulsa. Here’s what it looked like in 1949, courtesy of the Beryl Ford photo collection:

Here’s the report from the TV station:

(Image of the Blue Dome by nwlynch via Flickr)