Inside Look: Gilcrease Museum's Major Renovation Project To Attract Nationwide Exhibits

Construction on the Gilcrease Museum is 70 percent complete, but it's still two years away from opening.

The old building was demolished and the art was put in storage during the construction of the new building.

On Friday, News On 6 got an inside look as an important piece was put in place.

It's something viewers will recognize the first time they visit.

This $139 million project is not just a new building but an entire campus.

Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum believes most people will remember the first time they see this view.

"The architects intentionally designed this so you have a panoramic view of the Gilcrease Hill, and downtown Tulsa, and it's absolutely stunning," said Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum.

From one of two terraces at Gilcrease, Bynum said visitors might enjoy the art inside or hiking and bike trails outside, on the 460-acre campus.

"From an outdoor standpoint, this is going to be one of the best spots in all of Tulsa for people to enjoy," Bynum said.

FlintCo Construction project manager Andrew Witte said the shell of the building is nearly complete.

The inside is filled with scaffolding while the walls go up.

The 92,000-square-foot building gives Gilcrease the capability to attract major traveling exhibits.

"Gilcrease will be a museum that can house those major exhibits which will bring people from all over the United States to experience Gilcrease Museum," Bynum said.

An architectural centerpiece was installed on Friday. The spiral, metal, staircase will carry visitors up through an atrium.

The final piece was lifted over and lowered into the new building, with workers on the roof guiding it in.

"In the last couple of months, it's been amazing to see this all come together," Bynum said.

It could take a full two years to build out, and air out, the inside once the outside is done, but right now that could still mean it opens around Christmas of 2026.