Built by Goff in the 1950’s this church is known for its very interesting and unique design. Known as the “Teepee Church,” this building is located just outside of Edmond, Oklahoma . It acquired this nickname because of its resemblance to the Native American form of shelter. Many believe this design is a nice touch as it brings attention to the history of the great plains. Another unique feature of this building is that it is actually built out of excess oilfield materials. This is due to the fact that a large portion of the local townspeople had jobs in the oilfield so it held a strong connection with local residents of the time. The church was unfortunately abandoned in the 1980’s, but there is some hope nonetheless. In 2014 the church’s roof was renovated and there are talks about further improvements being made in the future.

I chose this building by Goff because when I first saw it the words that came out of my mouth were, “what in the world am I looking at?” I whole heartedly believe that was probably most peoples first impression when the saw this architectural phenomenon in person. Sadly, I learned that this building was apparently leveled in April of 2016 and that nothing remains there due to change in ownership. I’d say that might be a bad decision on the owners part, but maybe they had some other kind of plans. The story tells us about how Goff met a young art professor, Bavinger, during their time at the University of Oklahoma. The idea that Bavinger presented to Goff was that he wanted to break away from the traditional “box” like home style and create something unique to their life styles. The family said that they wanted an open home that lacked rooms, and was able to support their family, art creations, tropical plants, and their fish. I believe you could say these were some unique demands, but Goff was known to be a unique architect and proved to be perfect for the job. The home itself somewhat looks like a DNA helix and instead of bedrooms the family would sleep in UFO like pods that hung by cables from the roof. Apparently even some of Goff’s students contributed to the construction involved in building the house. Once completed in 1955 the house drew a lot of visitors for a while and was quite the sight. Sadly, though as time went by the house aged and was needing a lot of restorations. As I said in the beginning the ownership was eventually transferred and the building was gone as of 2016 after a lot of controversy. It is a shame that so many people including myself will never see this building, but at least we a have pictures.

Goff who is known for doing a large amount of work within Oklahoma was part of a team that constructed this masterpiece in the late 1920’s. Goff is recognized and given the majority of the credit for designing the outside part of this church. This building was built in an area when Modernism was a popular design idea, but was rarely applied to religious building so this makes the church unique in its own way. Another thing that stands out is the massive 225 foot tower that towers over the building. During this time period the use of new materials was expanding, and the use of steel made it possible for Goff and other architects to construct this tower in a time when skyscrapers were relatively new and very popular. Some other interesting features of the building are carvings and other exterior decorations assembled by the team that include some native flowers being displayed on the building. In 1989, this church was proclaimed to be in the top ten buildings within Oklahoma. As an individual who does not go to Tulsa where this building is located I have never set eyes on it, but when I get a chance I would like to see it eventually. It should be known this building is also recognized as a National Historic Landmark.

The Ledbetter House was designed and built by famous architect Bruce Goff in 1948. I was surprised to learn this house is actually on 701 West Brooks Street in none other than Norman, Oklahoma. Our university (the University of Oklahoma) is the owner of this fine building and it is actually recognized as a historical place adding to a list of other recognized buildings by Goff. He has also made many more contributions to our university including some teaching. I am glad that I accidently stumbled across this building when looking at the architect list. I chose Goff at random and when I started researching his work, I saw the Ledbetter House and an interest in an old Pearl Jam song led me to click on it. I cannot remember seeing this house but I will now be on the lookout for it when I drive around campus. This is a really cool and unique building design, which Goff is known for, that I would definitely take time out of my day to marvel at.