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Brenda Pooler
Chinowth & Cohen Realtors
 
Tulsa Midtown
Midtown is a unique and largely residential district in the heart of the city. This area consists mostly of homes built in the early 1900's and has a wide variety of American styles ranging from the Craftsman bungalow to the ranch-style home to Greek Revival. The neighborhood is even home to a relocated saltbox home from colonial New England. Schools in this part of the city include Bishop Kelley, Cascia Hall Preparatory School, Edison Preparatory School, Elliot Elementary, Francis Scott Key Elementary, Monte Cassino, Robert E. Lee Elementary, Patrick Henry Elementary, Wright Elementary and Undercroft Montessori. Woodward Park, located in Midtown, is known for its azaleas and gardens and is a popular destination for photography and picnics. Other popular Midtown Parks include Swan Lake, LaFortune Park, Zink Park, Darlington Park and Whiteside Park.
Utica Square is both a unique shopping center and another neighborhood built with lots of Oil Wealth. It's the most popular midtown shopping area and is mixed with locally owned retailers and national chains such as Restoration Hardware, Pottery Barn, and Saks Fifth Avenue. Local retailers include many clothing boutiques and Tulsa's oldest department store, Miss Jackson's. Several of Tulsa's most acclaimed restaurants are also located in Utica Square including the Polo Grille and the Wild Fork.
Located directly behind Utica Square is Tulsa's only Reform Jewish institution, Temple Israel. Temple Israel was founded in 1914 and currently has a membership of approximately 500 families. Temple Israel is a Reform Congregation affiliated with the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), the national organization of Reform Judaism. Tulsa's conservative synagogue, B'nai Emunah is also in Midtown.
Some of the other major shopping centers in this part of the city include the Promenade Mall, Highland Park Shopping Center, Southroads, Ranch Acres, The Farm Shopping Center, and The Plaza. OU-Tulsa is across the street from the Promenade Mall at 41st and Yale, on the southern edge of Midtown.
In northeast Midtown, the Tulsa State Fairgrounds, now called Expo Square, is home to several unique Tulsa landmarks. In addition to the site being home to the minor league baseball, Tulsa Drillers, the Art Deco Expo Square Pavilion (home court for the Tulsa 66ers NBDL team), the Fair Meadows horse racing track, and the annual Tulsa State Fair, it boasts the Expo Center, the largest clearspan building in the world, providing 354,000 square feet of column-free space under a cable-suspended roof. In front of the Expo Center is the Golden Driller, standing 76 feet tall. Built in 1966 as a symbol for the International Petroleum Expo, the statue serves as a reminder of Tulsa's oily past.
The Expo Center is also home to the annual Darryl Starbird Rod and Custom Show. Held in early February, it is touted as 'The World's Largest Indoor Car Show' and often draws around 1,500 custom and classic cars, trucks, and motorcycles. Antique car auctions are also held here and draw many visitors from across the nation. |