The American Institute of Architects Central Oklahoma Chapter will host our annual Architectural Tour on Saturday, April 12, 2025 from 12:00 – 5:00 p.m. Tickets will be $15 in advance and $20 the day of the tour. Tickets will go on sale on Monday, March 17th.
A few things to know about the AIA Architecture Tour.
-Children 8 and under attend free.
-There are no public restrooms on the tour.
-You may be asked to wear shoe booties at some of the locations.
-Children must be accompanied by and adult at all times.
– The tour will take place rain or shine.
-There are no refunds.
By purchasing a ticket and/or participating in the AIA Architecture Tour (“Tour”), you acknowledge and agree to the following terms:
- Assumption of Risk: Participation in the Tour is voluntary. Attendees acknowledge that visiting architectural sites may involve inherent risks, including but not limited to, uneven surfaces, stairs, construction zones, weather conditions, and other hazards. Participants assume full responsibility for their own safety.
- Release of Liability: The American Institute of Architects (AIA) and its affiliates, sponsors, volunteers, hosts, property owners, and any associated individuals or organizations are not liable for any injuries, accidents, property damage, or losses incurred before, during, or after the Tour.
- Compliance with Safety Guidelines: Participants agree to follow all safety instructions, stay within designated areas, and respect property rules at each tour location. Failure to comply may result in removal from the Tour without refund.
- Photography & Media Release: By attending, participants grant AIA permission to capture and use photographs, video, or other media for promotional purposes without compensation.
- Health & Accessibility: Individuals with mobility concerns should assess their ability to navigate the sites. AIA is not responsible for ensuring accessibility at all tour locations.
- Force Majeure: AIA is not responsible for delays, modifications, or cancellations due to unforeseen circumstances, including but not limited to weather, acts of God, or facility restrictions.
2025 AIA Architecture Tour Locations
Wariner + Wilson Residence
3644 Wagonwheel Rd
Edmond, OK 73034
Owner: Kay Wilson + Brian Wariner
Architect: TASK Design
The recently retired owners patiently waited almost 30 years to transform and expand their existing house into their “dream home” with an environment for relaxing, entertaining that reflects their appreciation of Asian arts and culture.
The live in aging friendly step free, one story addition strategically extends the existing house among existing mature trees. The back of house opens up to the outdoors with large porches and expanses of glass flanked by existing brick, new stained wood and dry stacked stone. Horizontal light coves and vaulted ceilings throughout the interior visually tie the individual spaces together while each room retains a unique character that blends old and new as exemplified by the vintage Japanese sliding door in the owner’s retreat bath.
The circular dining room is the plan’s focal point that radiates out in the terrazzo floor pattern like a pebble’s ripple in a pond. The owners love of cooking inspired the kitchen’s prominent size and location with a long stone countertop island to connect the family and dining. Craftsmanship is celebrated in the new recreation room’s exposed roof framing and hidden butler’s pantry door.
To improve energy efficiency, all of the hvac is contained within the thermal envelope with spray foamed / vented roof. Efforts were made to retain most of the existing trees but sadly a disease is decimating the oaks that the expansion was carefully planned around. New trees may take their place though to retain the feel of a house in the woods.
The Cunningham Residence
3309 Quail Creek Rd,
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Owner:
Architect: Herb Greene
The primary spaces of the Cunningham House, overlooking a golf course, are recessed into a slope providing a sense of security and privacy. At the same time a great roof sweeps out to the view in an expression of shelter and aspiration. Free-standing, vine covered ornamental trellises and brick piers facing the golf course allow the interior to be enlivened by flecks and rays from the setting sun, addressing the client’s request for indirect sources of warm light. The roof extension and orientation of the house protects the vines from most of Oklahoma’s ice storms. Vertical rows of dark umber brick headers are placed in a field of common red brick selected by the client. These carry the color of the umber stained roof soffits into the walls and make regular counterpoint with irregular cream-colored flash marks on the brick. The curves of the soffit rhythmically modulate the interiors, which are richly three dimensional. In contrast, street and side facades are neutral in deference to the neighborhood.
The Cunningham Residence is further described in Herb Greene’s “Mind and Image.”
Public Strategies Corporate Headquarters
2 NE 9th Street
Oklahoma City, OK 73104
Owner: NE 9th Street Development Company, LLC
Architect: Studio Architecture
Contractor: Timberlake Construction
Once-neglected buildings in downtown OKC have now found new life as Public Strategies’ innovative corporate headquarters. Facing a growing team and limited space, the company embarked on a multi-year search for a new home starting in 2020. Recognizing the potential in underutilized urban spaces, Public Strategies broke ground at 2 NE 9th Street on a transformative adaptive reuse project in 2022 – reviving multiple dilapidated buildings into a stunning, cohesive headquarters. The undertaking transformed 47,000 sq. feet of neglected real estate. Opened in 2024, the project seamlessly blends history and modernity by restoring and preserving intricate elements on the facade, while the interior boasts open, creative collaboration spaces. The space is also home to One Set Studio, an initiative of Public Strategies. One Set Studio is a certified sound stage and the first purpose-built virtual production studio in OKC powered by Disguise. The design takes advantage of the building’s existing features to provide natural daylight and views. The masonry wall along the west side of the building was opened to create the second-floor balcony adjacent to the new French Café and Living Room. To maximize the vista of the OKC skyline, the space features floor-to-ceiling glass walls. Additionally, an alley between the buildings was enclosed to create a light-filled atrium.
Innovation Hall
316 NE 9th Street
Oklahoma City, OK 73104
Owner: Oklahoma City Innovation District
Architect: FSB Architects + Engineers
Contractor: Lingo Construction Services
In a public and private partnership that includes the Oklahoma City Innovation District and the Oklahoma City MAPS office, FSB has designed two new buildings — Convergence and Innovation Hall — which offers more than 250,000 SF, for a mixed-use development in Oklahoma City’s Innovation District. The MAPS funding for this project was matched by a private developer and this effort is anticipated to bring in hundreds of millions of dollars in private sector development while also adding needed land use to the Innovation District.
Nestled in Northeast OKC, this district stands as a beacon of innovation, fostering progress through advancements in research, technology, energy, healthcare, bio-manufacturing, and aerospace. The Oklahoma City Innovation District envisions a cohesive community where people can not only work but also live, play and stay in Oklahoma to contribute to its rapidly evolving economy. Focused on building an environment that promotes cross-sector collaboration among Oklahoma’s key industries, the design features shared technology, plus research labs, offices, biomedical workspace, a hotel and retail space. The spaces are connected by a pedestrian-friendly, open-air plaza.
Now open, the cutting-edge Innovation Hall is more than just an event space — it features a host of activities ranging from coding training for all ages, versatile spaces for meetings, creative workshops and pop-up spaces for entrepreneurs to showcase new ideas and build consensus.
The Citizen
600 N. Robinson
Oklahoma City, OK 73102
Owner: Bond Payne
Architect: Allford Hall Monaghan Morris
Contractor: Lingo Construction Services
The Citizen is a mid-rise development in downtown Oklahoma City that from its inception has aimed to promote civic discourse by bringing disparate people together in this modern-day forum. Sitting across the street from the Oklahoma City National Memorial, the generous ground floor volume is set back to extend the urban realm deep into the building, and a banking hall and restaurant engage with the building foyer to further activate and enliven the entrance. Above, a diverse blend of uses includes co-working space, a members’ club, a hotel and a tech start-up incubator, culminating with offices at the upper levels, one of which the AHMM OKC office has moved into.
A take on a 21st century ‘warehouse’, The Citizen was designed as a lean hard working building- endlessly flexible and easily reconfigurable. Its robust and high-volume space with expressed concrete structure and services is designed to be flexible in use and for future adaptability. The generous windows cast natural light deep into the floorplate and maximize the views over the city. Vertical circulation is banked into the perimeter of the building, which at lower levels abuts a neighboring parking garage, but at higher levels affords the staircases and office lobbies with a magnificent view and natural light. Circulation space is kept to a minimum, and doors to the staircase are held open to make it a conspicuous feature of the lobby, promoting its use for shorter journeys in place of the elevators, and expressing the movement of people within the building on the outside.
Phillips Murrah
424 NW 10th Street
Oklahoma City, OK 73103
Owner: Midtown Renaissance
Architect: Fitzsimmons Architects
Contractor: Lingo Construction Services
Phillips Murrah Headquarters is a 5-story, new construction infill project with an accompanying 4-level parking structure. These are the first components in the redevelopment of a long-standing empty block in the heart of Midtown OKC. Its tenant mix includes one of Oklahoma’s largest law firms, Phillips Murrah, who wanted to make its home in the vibrant district. The lower two levels are mixed-use with retail, hospitality, and services on the ground floor and offices on the second level.
The design features wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling windows and large interior and exterior open spaces. The interior plan includes modern collaborative work areas and social common spaces to accommodate attorneys who wish to work partly at home and those who travel from the firm’s Dallas office. Phillips Murrah’s east-end rooftop patio provides outdoor shade and seating areas with views of downtown.
The building design is sensitive to the context of its neighborhood utilizing masonry materials at the lower levels to compliment the lower-scale masonry buildings of Midtown while providing a consistent smaller-scale colonnade enhancing the pedestrian experience and creating urban form and character. Occupied by Phillips Murrah, the top three floors step forward and are set apart from the context, reflecting the progressive and innovative culture of the firm.
The garage is a 312-space public parking structure with solar arrays on the south street façade, providing power to the garage and office building. The Oklahoma sunset-hued bands of color are a subtle nod to the use of solar energy.
Richter Residence
2608 Walnut Road
Norman, OK 73072
Owner: JW and LeAnna Richter
Renovation Architect: Neat Design, LLC
Contractor: M.C. Tile Remodeling LLC, Humberto Villa
The Richter Residence exemplifies midcentury modern architecture, featuring angular geometry, clean lines, and open spaces. Originally designed and built by Robert E. Busch in 1960, this 2,858-square-foot home sits on a 0.55-acre lot in central Norman, utilizing the natural slope to provide split-level access to the backyard. Recent renovations sought to modernize the home while preserving its midcentury charm, seamlessly blending classic design elements with contemporary amenities.
The Richter Residence retains many of its original midcentury modern details while incorporating thoughtful updates. The striking concrete, cantilevered fireplace remains a focal point, and the home’s signature breeze block walls have been carefully restored. A former paddling pool near the front entrance has been transformed into a tranquil goldfish pond. The kitchen maintains its original layout and cabinetry, with minor modifications to accommodate modern appliances, while tile and wallpaper selections remain true to the era of the home’s construction. A unique lower-level space initially designed for a built-in trampoline has been reimagined as a family room featuring a custom media cabinet. The original bomb shelter has been repurposed into “The Pit,” a playroom for kids, complete with a mural by local artist Creed Baylis and a TV. Throughout the home, original wood paneling and millwork have been meticulously cleaned and restored, with new custom base molding, doors, and a media cabinet designed to blend seamlessly with the midcentury aesthetic while enhancing usability.
The Richter Residence is a harmonious blend of historical significance and modern comfort. Thoughtfully updated by Neat Design, the home stands as a testament to midcentury modern architecture, honoring its past while embracing the present.
Questions? Contact Melissa at melissa@aiacoc.org