Thursday, May 31, 2012

Rebirth

Tulsa, Oklahoma

Aside from the highly unusual screen tower design, does something look a little unsettled here? Well, the good news is that things are unsettled because The Admiral Twin is undergoing a complete reconstruction.

Tulsa, Oklahoma

Crews were leaving as I arrived yesterday to photograph the theater in afternoon light. They told me the work is nearly completed and the plan is to reopen June 15th. They also told me the structure had just withstood 60+ mph winds (must be the ones that continued north and bounced me around in Kansas last weekend). Built with 110 tons of steel, the double tower has been designed to cope with wind over 100 mph. Which might even be enough.

Tulsa, Oklahoma

The charm of many drive-in theaters is that they may be the most vernacular—freehand—of all architecture, but in this case the remodeling was designed by an architect. I'm anticipating a fascinating phone interview with him to talk about the project.

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