Help Support Goff's Riverside Studio Restoration August 07 2015

Scott Pendelton sends word that an important Bruce Goff work will be rehabilitated if the Tulsa City Council and voters approve funding. The 1929 Riverside Studio (today the Tulsa Spotlight Theatre) was one of Goff’s earliest designs. It opened just seven months before the Black Friday stock market crash that ushered in the Depression and eventually led to foreclosure on the original owner. The building was then empty or leased for almost a decade, during which time essential maintenance was neglected. Subsequent owners of limited means have attempted to keep the building functional, but now a total rehab is needed. No one alive today experienced the building in its original glory, thus it has always been more of a sad curiosity than a point of pride. Except for the impact of the Great Depression, this building would surely be THE iconic image associated with Tulsa.

The structure is quite sound. Full rehabilitation is possible. But for that to happen the current owners, the non-profit Tulsa Spotlighters, Inc. must convince Tulsa that the building is a valuable cultural asset of interest to potential visitors, and that Bruce Goff remains relevant. For more information and to find out how you can support the effort, please visit www.spotlighttheatre.org.