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.

This has been by far one of my favorite places to go to over the years. As a whole it is one of those small town motels that a lot of truckers stay in, but it has a little restaurant in the middle of it. I have known the owners for years and I actually met the guy in the gym that is one of my other posts. What I love is the design of the interior. It has one of those classic diner designs that feel very comfortable to be in. There are many morning I go there just to have some coffee and talk to my friends. We always talk about how we feel like we are in a movie when we are in there (I always say I feel like I am in the diner from Pulp Fiction). The environment of that building is just a comfortable place to be and very friendly.

Although it seems a little cringe worthy to include a gym in my list, I could not help but add it into my blog. This building is rather simple and not very impressive to the eye, but I have spent a lot of time in there. The building actually used to be a restaurant on Main Street in my home town. Now it is a gym that is one of the few functioning buildings in my town. It is actually the only building to have any colorful lights to look at during night time so it does stick out. Besides being a place that I workout at, it is a place that has its own little community of people within my town. Every time I am in there I see someone I have gotten to know over the years of going there and it is not uncommon for us to have conversations with multiple people in there. I guess you could say it is one of the few social hotspots in my town for adults.

I put this restaurant in my blog because it was my family’s favorite place to go when we all lived in Houston. I can always count on my family to talk about a memory from when we were younger and it was usually in this restaurant. As far as restaurants go it was pretty standard although in my memories it is some of the best food I have ever had. The main thing I loved about it was that it always seemed like a positive experience when we were there. I can never remember having one of those dinners where someone had a bad day or there was an awkward silence. These restaurants actually went out of business sadly, but we were in the process of moving to Oklahoma already so we did not really notice till we went back to visit. One thing that also really sticks out to me was the way these restaurants were designed. They kind of looked like a house that I would imagine in medieval times or something.

I chose to include the OU football stadium in my blog because it has been a significant part of my Fall season since 2009. I moved to Oklahoma in 2009 from Houston, Texas and at the time I remember not knowing anyone from around here. I was also really into skateboarding as a kid, and when you move just outside of a small town into the countryside it becomes difficult to stay enthused when you do not have friends to skate with. One day however, my grandfather told me he had got us season tickets to the home games at OU. Until that point I had never played football, watched football, or even had a favorite team. So going to my first home game was truthfully my first football experience, and when we went it was something I will never forget because ultimately it helped change my life in Oklahoma. I quickly started loving to watch the Sooners and even decided to play football for my school. It was through football I made a lot of friends that I still have today. It also has kept me and my grandpa close because we both love talking about it. We have seen a lot of great games and a few bad ones, but those seem to be more rare. I also believe that attending these games helped shape my decision to come to OU because walking around campus before games really helped me familiarize myself with the campus and I knew I wanted to go there. Unfortunately the Corona virus has kind of put a damper on things this year because we could not get our season tickets, but I certainly look forward to going next season if I have the opportunity!

This is a place called the Hangout in Gulf Shores, Alabama. Now there is nothing special about the building itself, but it holds so many memories for me. We have been going to Gulf Shores with the same family since I was in 5th grade and have gone almost every summer since. Never on a trip did we not go to the Hangout, even this year during COVID (although it was a little different). It is your typical beach bar/restaurant and the food is not that great, but we still love it. It is open to the outside and has skylights across the whole ceiling. It has a huge outdoor area with a music stage, play things for the kids (loved when I was younger) and a couple bars. At night it is especially cool when it is all lit up. I love being able to sit and see the ocean and feel the breeze. The Hangout signifies everything those summer vacations represent and have meant to me – so much fun!