50 States of Wonder
8 Buildings That Prove Oklahoma's an Eclectic Art Paradise

Route 66 was born in Oklahoma, and this restaurant pays homage to the classic roadside eateries that sprung up along it. The building is reminiscent of old gas stations, but made ultra-modern. Pops, which was established in 2007, sells around 700 different kinds of beverages, along with diner fare like burgers and hot dogs. A rainbow of carefully-arranged soda bottles adorn the interior walls. But the real star of the show is outside: a 66-foot tall soda bottle sculpture made out of metal rings. Each night, the bottle glows in an impressive light show worthy of Route 66’s sensational heritage. (Read more.)

At the end of Oklahoma Avenue in downtown Guthrie lies an elaborate Neoclassical-style building. Doric columns line the facade, which is dotted with 400 stained glass windows. This is the Scottish Rite Temple, one of the largest Masonic complexes in the world. The temple was completed in 1923, and has remained largely unchanged since. It contains a Roman-style theater with seating for 3,500; rooms replicating designs from ancient Egypt, Pompeii, and Assyria; and a room filled with Czech crystal chandeliers. (Read more.)

One of the most stunning examples of Art Deco in Oklahoma—and in the United States—is Tulsa's Boston Avenue United Methodist Church. The building mixes elements of Art Deco style with Gothic structure. The design is rich with symbolism, from subtle elements (such as lines representing an outpouring of divine love and motifs of native Oklahoma flowers), to more overt ones, including the statues of famous Methodist figures that stand guard over the church entrances.

There is some controversy surrounding who actually designed the church. The famed architect Bruce Goff is normally given the credit. But Adah Robinson, an artist and a member of the congregation who was Goff's high school teacher, presented initial sketches for the church's unconventional appearance. (Read more.)

D.W. Correll was an industrial management expert with an eclectic mix of interests—jewelry making, rock collecting, antique cars, and marine biology, to name a few. When he died in 1998, Correll left his treasures to the city of Catoosa. It took a few years of sorting through the collection, but the D.W. Correll Museum opened to the public in 2001. The museum is housed in two separate buildings. In one, you’ll find classic automobiles, including a 1902 Oldsmobile and a steam-powered 1899 Locomobile. The other holds a variety of Correll’s other collections, including mineral specimens, fossilized sea sponges, and intricately designed liquor and perfume bottles. (Read more.)

With its fluorescent murals, this converted warehouse in downtown Oklahoma City is hard to miss. In 2011, a group of artists and musicians turned the building in the city’s Automobile Alley district into an arts complex that they called the Womb. In 2017, the space was reimagined as Factory Obscura, an Oklahoma City art collective that creates immersive experiences meant to “awaken wonder, build community, and make the world better.” Inside the 6,000-square-foot space, there are all sorts of nooks and crannies to explore, with tunnels to crawl through and music to experience. (Read more.)

If you keep exploring downtown Oklahoma City, you might find one of the discreet entrances to a subterranean neighborhood. The Oklahoma City Underground is a series of pedestrian tunnels and walkways that cover more than 20 city blocks. The space first opened in 1974, and is filled with art and history exhibits that celebrate Oklahoma and its capital. Visitors can also find shops, restaurants, and a post office in the underground. (Read more.)

About an hour and a half northwest of the Philbrook Museum sits the estate of another oilman, the former Oklahoma governor E.W. Marland. The Marland Mansion is a sprawling estate perched at the edge of a quarry pit turned swimming pool. Marland's claim to fame was his control of vast oil reserves. With the millions of dollars that drilling brought in, Marland was able to build an opulent home. He spared no expense: His home boasts marble floors, crystal chandeliers, and ceilings that were hand-painted over three years by the Italian muralist Vincent Maragliotti.

The Marlands moved off the property in the 1930s. The following decade, a group of Carmelite Fathers were cloistered on the property, then sold it to a group of nuns, who ran a convent and school on the grounds until 1974. Today the property is owned by Ponca City. Much of the estate has been preserved in its original condition, though some buildings now host micro-museums dedicated to art, oil, and Marland family history. (Read more.)

This three-story, 72-room mansion might make you feel as though you’ve been transported to the Italian countryside. The house and its surrounding gardens were inspired by Villa Lante, an estate in Tuscany.

The 25-acre estate was once the home of businessman Waite Phillips and his wife, Genevieve. Today it is a museum with a collection of historic and contemporary art. In 1938, the Phillips family donated their estate to the city of Tulsa, and the Philbrook Museum of Art opened its doors the following year. After an expansion in the 1990s, the museum now includes nine collections from around the world. One of the highlights is its vast collection of Native American art, which includes paintings, jewelry, pottery, and traditional woven artifacts and baskets. (Read more.)