The Journal Record published an excellent story about the historic Warehouse Market building, an art deco gem, on 11th Street (aka Route 66) in Tulsa.
Built in 1929, the building was designed by B. Gaylord Nofstger with lots of terra cotta.
Its entryway borrowed heavily from the famous patterns used with Chicago’s Commercial Building, mixing neo-classical medallions and geometric designs cast in blue, green, red and gold. Nofstger lifted the terra cotta into the spreading parapet, then leapt past the vertical yellow brick tower to crown it with a variety of blue, red and white crisscross designs against a vine motif and several Native American elements.
The Warehouse Market building became Club Lido for a short time, hosting Cab Calloway, Benny Goodman and Duke Ellington. After that, it became a grocery again until the 1970s, when it closed and started to deteriorate. But here’s probably the most remarkable part of the Warehouse Market building story:
In 1993 Home Depot acquired the 14-acre site, clearing out the open-air markets for construction of a downtown store. But the chain preserved the 10,000-square-foot Warehouse Market, spending more than $1 million to repair the structure.
We at Route 66 don’t often praise large chain stores, as their approach to historic preservation is frequently nonexistent. However, Home Depot did the right thing here. If Home Depot hadn’t gone the extra mile, it’s very doubtful the building would still be here to enthrall Route 66 travelers.
A look at the Warehouse Market by Google Street View can be seen here.