Gilcrease Museum To get New Facility, City Says

The Gilcrease Museum was slotted for a planned renovations, but the City of Tulsa said it will now be getting a new home. 

The Gilcrease Museum is currently made up of a building from 1913, and four layers of renovations that were done between 1940 and 1987, Officials said. 

Officials said experts who evaluated the museum showed that an addition to the current structure would not sustain or meet museum operating standards. 

Experts recommended that the best way to serve Tulsans would be to construct an entirely new facility. 

“This new direction for Gilcrease Museum will ensure more exhibit space and room for traveling exhibits while safeguarding Gilcrease Museum’s collections for decades to come” Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum said. “Instead of making incremental improvements to an existing structure, the new facility will be able to maximize our museum offerings and create a full museum space both indoors and outdoors that match the true vision of Gilcrease Museum.”

Officials said that this can be accomplished within the planned budget from Vision Tulsa and a $10 million gift provided by the A.R. and Marylouise Tandy Foundation.