Having spent many, many hours at Mercury Lounge (a former DX gas station) it was interesting to see how the 18th and Boston area has changed. I was surprised to see how many buildings are still around from the 1930s-1950s. The red building on the north side of 18th was the former swanky eatery Louisiane Sea Food, which was open from the 1930's to the 1990's. The current home of the Venue Shrine was a Safeway Grocery Store, as was Dalesandro's. Great to see these old buildings being repurposed instead of town down.
For those of us who grew up in East Tulsa during the mid 1980s and early 1990s Eastland Mall was the place to be. Woodland Hills Mall was still thought of as “down South” so most shopping trips took place at Eastland.
Construction of the mall started in the mid-1970s but the property sat unfinished and empty for almost a decade. It finally opened in 1984 and by the late 80s had a JCPenney, Service Merchandise, Dillard’s and movie theatre. Who else loved riding the escalator down to the food court? However, in the late 1990s Eastland mirrored East Tulsa’s decline in development and most of major retailers closed their locations in the mall. In 2007 the renovated mall found new life as a regional headquarters of Coca-Cola Enterprises. As of 2015 it houses tenants such as the DMV, University of Phoenix and the Paul Mitchell Beauty School. I took these pictures back in 2007 and I wish I had taken more. This Land has a nice article on the rise and fall of Eastland that is worth checking out. |
Started in 2007, Forgotten Tulsa's goal is to document the city's rich history. Any pictures that I have not created will be credited. All suggestions and memories are encouraged and appreciated. Follow on Instagram @forgottentulsa.
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