Due to a sick hairdresser, I couldn't get a haircut today so I took the time instead to drive back downtown and go over the Boulder Ave. Bridge (see yesterday's post) myself for the first time. Yesterday, we left before it was "officially" open to the public.
Today, mine was the only car on it! I drove over it twice, once in each direction, and the only vehicles I saw on it were trucks of workers who are attaching more decorative metal cutouts to the east side railing. I stopped to take this photo of the Route 66 shield and vintage car cutout. On the right is a cutout of the Blue Dome, also on Route 66.
Another fact about the Brady Theater, and not one of which Tulsa is particularly proud, is that the building was used temporarily to detain black men rounded up by the National Guard during the 1921 Race Riot. Read about the Race Riot and see some amazing photos at: http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/T/TU013.html
5 comments:
Boulder Ave, huh? I need to go see that bridge, soon,
Laurel,
There's a mystery about this bridge and I know you know the people who can explain what the deal is. After reading your posting on Monday I was inspired to drive downtown on the way home from school on Tuesday (yesterday) and to my surprise I saw no metal art--at all! No other cars on the bridge at the time I decided to drive back over and look on the other side. No metal art!! So I came home where I found your Tuesday posting with more photos of the metal art that I simply did not find. So, after school today (Wednesday) I drove back to the bridge. Even as I approached it from the west I could see bare railings with no art. Whaaaaaat? As I turned onto the bridge I saw yellow caution tape blocking the sidewalk and a sign saying no access to the sidewalk. Once on the bridge I saw a couple of trucks and half a dozen men lifting a large sheet of the metal art that I recognized from your photos. I think they were putting it place but I had to move on. This was at the middle of the bridge and I think that other than the section in the work men's hands there was only one section of the same size in place on the railing. The other side of the bridge still had NO ART. This is like a Twilight Zone episode--the art was there on Sunday and Monday and Tuesday morning when you drove over the bridge. It was gone by 4:20 PM on Tuesday when I was there. It was just being installed at 4:30 PM on Wednesday. What the heck has been going on? Please, find out for me or else I'll have to ask you to drive me to the Home. You know, THE Home!
Poor Susan! Don't worry, you aren't quite ready for the Home yet! I probably should have put an addendum on my last bridge post. I read an article (in the Tulsa World, perhaps, but I'm not sure) that explained that they took all of the metal cutouts off because they'd only put them up temporarily for the ceremony and now they need further work... painting, sanding, etc. So when I saw the guys working on the bridge, I assumed they were attaching more cutouts whereas they were actually removing them. I don't know when they'll be putting them back up, but I got the feeling that it would be a while. The same article indicated that they will eventually be on both sides of the bridge and that they will be protected by plastic or glass (can't remember which). And now you know the rest of the story....
Well, I feel better now. Thank you for clearing that up and assuring me I wasn't caught in some kind of time warp. I took another pass at the bridge this afternoon (Thursday) and found no one working but saw panels on the west railings from the Archer end of the bridge to mid-point, stopping at the Route 66 shield and the Blue Dome, then bare rails from there to 1st Street. Nothing is on the east railings. A protective covering can't be installed too soon. We all remember how vandals destroyed the Route 66 lighted sign on the 66 Plaza walkover--twice!!--before the protective screen was added and also that section of the Cyrus Avery Bridge fence that was rammed and bent before the heavy duty security posts were cemented in place along the street. Sad that what most of us see as decoration some see as targets.
I'm enjoying getting caught up on the goin's-on in Afton and in and around Tulsa. Sounds like we need to get back and see all the fabulous changes! I must admit I'm very intrigued by the new barbecue place in Afton! One of the funnest things for me was finding non-franchise eateries along the way...they're the best!
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