Universal Ford Building

Tulsa, OK

The Universal Ford Building, originally constructed in 1917, once housed the Ford Motor Company and Ford Model T showroom. The design and adaptive reuse of the building and showroom involved the historic renovation of 37,000 square feet of the two-story structure. The building sits on one of the last intact tracts of historic Main Street in downtown Tulsa. The building’s envelope was improved with new stucco and brickwork repairs. The original steel windows are retained and were repaired in place. There are over 2,000 individually glazed window units that are insulated that have been put into the original steel window frames.

The mixed-use renovation project resulted in 23 apartment units, 6,5000 square feet of restaurant space and 11,000 square feet of office space including 36 Degrees North, a cooperative work environment for budding entrepreneurs. The 5,000 square feet of unglazed porcelain hex tile, which was carefully restored to its original condition when the flooring was part of the Ford Model T showroom is a unique feature of the project.

 

Adaptive Reuse / Historic Preservation / Mixed Use / Multi-Family Housing

 

Lilly Architects, Tulsa OK

Commercial / Residential Architecture, and Interior Design

Phone: (918) 582-5044

“Lilly Architects went above and beyond. They worked through countless iterations adapting when necessary. One of the most fulfilling parts of working with this team is their ability to dream big while staying rooted in reality. Lilly thrives on learning new concepts, uses, and consumer behaviors, always finding a way to make the space work no matter what you throw at them.”

Aaron Miller, Program Officer
George Kaiser Family Foundation

« Previous Project
Next Project »