The $3.5 million Red Fork Depot event space in the Route 66 Historical Village in southwest Tulsa opened to the public a few days ago.
According to KOTV in Tulsa, the facility — built to resemble a Red Fork’s original railroad depot right next to the Frisco Meteor 4500 steam locomotive — contains 5,000 square feet and a full-size chef’s kitchen. It was designed to host birthday parties, wedding receptions and class reunions for the community.
“This is more than just a building,” said Alexander Tyler, the Director of the Route 66 Village Depot. “This is somebody’s vision. Somebody said ‘hey, let’s start out with this train’ and before you know it, it turned into a visitors center, before you know it would turn into a depot, so it’s growing and growing. This is not your average venue. This is a place where you are going to create memories.”
Here’s the station’s video about the facility:
Here’s a short video from the Route 66 Village that shows more of the depot’s interior:
More about the depot and the Red Fork community via Tulsa People:
The original Red Fork Train Depot was established in 1883 in Red Fork, Indian Territory, as a railhead on the Arkansas River. The Depot brought thousands of people to Tulsa during the oil boom in the early 1900s before its demolition.
Red Fork was then incorporated into Tulsa in 1927 and has experienced exponential growth since. […]
Birthday parties can be hosted in the Village’s Frisco 1157 red caboose and in a trolley expected to be finished next, and kids will be able to play in an old baggage truck, according to Historical Village board member Andrew Carlson.
“The Depot adds to the long-term goals of the community to have an indoor place for events,” he says. “This will bring more interest to west Tulsa and its history.”
Route 66 Historical Village also contains the 154-foot-tall Red Fork Centennial Oil Derrick, a neon sign, a visitors center in a replica Phillips 66 gas station and a huge Route 66 shield.
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Sounds like a nice facility. Glad they got it completed.