2016 saw the closure of one of Tulsa's oldest businesses, Miss Jackson's. But one business that started in Miss Jackson's, Mrs. DeHaven's Flower Shop, is still going strong. When the namesake of Miss Jackson's, Nelle Shields Jackson wanted a shop to provide fresh flowers to Tulsa's elite she turned to her friend Josephine DeHaven. In 1905 Mrs. DeHaven's Flower Shop opened in a corner of the upscale Miss Jackson's. However, customer demand grew so quickly that the flower shop had to relocate to larger locations. In 1932 she moved to the 15th and Boston location where the shop has resided for the past eighty-four years.

Here are a few looks into how the corner of 15th and Boston has changed.

 Railroads were key to the Brady District's (and Tulsa's) growth. Several buildings in the Brady, such as the Ward Building (built in 1909) were used to store goods the Railroads brought to Tulsa. For most of its 107 year history the Ward building was home to several such businesses, including Red Ball, Mac International, Midwestern Electric, and the H.O.W Foundation Body Shop. According to the Tulsa Foundation for Architecture tour guide, the Ward building even had horse stables! 

When I first photographed the building in 2008 it was still covered in beige paint and was no longer in use. But in 2011 a $650,000 renovation started to return the Ward Building to it's former glory. It is now home to Bar 46.

James Andrew Waldrep moved to Tulsa and opened a wholesale confectionary in 1905. His wholesale company had a location on 3rd Street--the building is still there today. 

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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. 

According to Michael Bates three early 20th century Plains Commercial buildings on this site were pulled down by Arvest in the early 2000s (I couldn't find out if that included the buildings Peacock, Babyland and Megee's were located in.) Buildings being torn down in the name of “progress” and “urban renewal” is a story Tulsans know all too well (Greenwood, anyone?) Even so, that doesn’t make it any less disheartening to look at picture after picture of the vibrant downtown Tulsa once had and see what has been lost. But hey, Tulsa won the Golden Crater award for most surface parking so we got that goin’ for us.  

Part two of my trip down Main Street coming soon. 

The above photo of Peacock Jewelers is one of my favorite images of Downtown Tulsa. While I knew both the sign and business were gone I had high hopes that the building was still standing. After a bit of searching I found the exact address and as I read it my heart sank: 518 S. Main Street. Driving to 6th and Main confirmed what I already knew: the buildings were gone, replaced with a parking lot. 

Some may remember the failed "Main Mall" experiment of the late 1970's. Lost Tulsa has a great photo set of the former pedestrian mall. The street was reopened to traffic around 2003/2004.

When I started photographing Tulsa back in 2007 Downtown was just starting to be redeveloped. It has been exciting to watch all the changes as they happen, especially in the Brady District. 

In 2012 the Fairfield became the first hotel opened in the Brady District. Now in addition to the hotel there are two restaurants (Laffa and Prhyme) and two bars (Mainline and Zin). As the photo of Main Street and Archer in the 1940's shows Downtown Tulsa still has a lot of redevelopment potential but it is on the right track!

In addition to hosting thousands of performances Brady Theater also played a part in the Tulsa Race Riot of 1921 as it was used to detain black men rounded up by the National Guard. This shameful portion of Tulsa’s history was covered up for many years. An article from This Land newspaper recounted the life of the namesake of Brady Theater Tate Brady and his alleged role in the 1921 race riot. For more information on the Tulsa Race Riot check out Riot and Remembrance: The Tulsa Race War and its Legacy by James S. Hirsch.