Utah sculptor Patrick Sullivan probably will finish his three Route 66 sculptures for Howard Park in Tulsa sometime next week.
Tulsa World columnist John Klein recently talked to Sullivan, who patiently has wielded a hammer and chisel to create the images in Indiana limestone.
Sullivan drove every inch of Route 66 in Tulsa County before beginning the project.
“I try to be involved in the local culture. It helps me in creating something that is a part of that culture.
“Honestly, it inspires me. Folks should be more involved and educated about public art. It is the oldest art form known to man.” […]
“It is appropriate because Howard Park was such a significant part of Route 66,” Sullivan said. “It was a beautiful park right on Route 66, and many people stopped there through the years.” […]
“I am carving history. That is important to me and a lot of other people. So, I did a lot of research.”
Once the sculptures are finished, they’ll be moved to Howard Park, just off Tulsa’s Southwest Boulevard (aka Route 66).
The city of Tulsa and the Arts Commission of Tulsa commissioned the sculptures. They are among the last of the Vision 2025 projects.
KOTV filed a story about Sullivan and his work in early November:
NewsOn6.com – Tulsa, OK – News, Weather, Video and Sports – KOTV.com |
Sullivan isn’t a Johnny-come-lately to Tulsa. His father was born in Oklahoma before it became a state, when it was called Indian Territory. And Sullivan carved another limestone structure in Tulsa in 2014.
The city of Tulsa provided sketches of the three sculptures. Here’s the first one:
The sculpture depicts 1) an Oklahoma Route 66 shield, the road itself, a wagon wheel and that Cyrus Avery planned the highway in Tulsa in 1925; 2) a 1906 electric trolley in Tulsa, an electricity bolt and street rails; 3) Tulsa’s Golden Era of Aviation, 1920s-1940s, showing the Philtower, biplanes, a propeller and Charles Lindbergh’s plane; 4) steam and diesel trains that have served Oklahoma since 1882.
The second sculpture, which contains one change from the previous mockup:
The sculpture depicts 1) a Tulsa Route 66 shield, an oil well, refineries, oil derricks and “Oil Capital of the World”; 2) tribal boundaries for the Osage, Cherokee and Muscogee (Creek) nations and their relationship to two Route 66 alignments (this is the amended portion of the sculpture); 3) images of gears signifying manufacturing, a satellite dish for technology, an airplane and stars signifying aerospace, and East meets West and a Route 66 shield; 4) image of a Native American on a horse, with the greeting “Hello, how are you?” in each tribe’s written language, an English translation and pronunciations.
The third sculpture:
It depicts 1) a Tulsa Route 66 sign with Art Deco leaves and fans; 2) musical notes, a dancing couple, a guitar, the sign “Western Swing” and the notation “The Texas Playboys, Cain’s Ballroom 1935”; 3) another Art Deco design featuring the Route 66 shield; 4) a Burma Shave logo, a Ferris wheel at Crystal City Amusement Park, the Blue Dome gas station, the Zingo roller coaster at Bell’s Amusement Park and a Route 66 shield.
Howard Park, which dates to at least the 1920s, features many shade trees and is an ideal spot to see the railroad lines, Route 66 and the Holly oil refinery. Redfork Revival wrote more about the park:
Howard Park was bigger before the expressway came through. In the 1920’s people remember swimming, dog racing, even horseracing at the park. Westsiders remember its great baseball fields. A 1969 roster of Tulsa Parks says it was named for Oscar P. Howard, a former Tulsa oilman. It lists the location at W. 25th and Sapulpa Road. Some former West Tulsa residents believe Howard’s will stipulate that the whole plot was to remain a park.
In the 1990’s Howard was designated an historic U.S. 66 park. U.S. 66 was opened in 1926. The band “Asleep at the Wheel” performed during the dedication. They were enroute to Tulsa Mayfest. Lois Baker Davies donated a photo of Troy Baker standing over a small pool with children in it to the Southwest Tulsa Historical Society. The children were Juanita, Bernice and Harold Baker and Lois herself.
(Video-capture image of one of the sculptures from KOTV report; Artist’s renderings of the sculptures courtesy of Dennis Whitaker of the City of Tulsa)