Philbrook Museum

I love Tulsa because of its architecture, but am also awed by the wealth of the oil barons that lived here. The Philbrook is a museum that used to be the home of Frank Phillips (of Phillips 66). It was designed like an Italian villa, and the back yard, which you see in the photo, is spectacular! People get married in the little gazebo at the end of the pond. Be warned that there are a hundred little steps you must walk down, but plenty of places to just stop and take pictures, too! I do intend to go back one day.

This is a great museum, it was once the estate of a Tulsa oilman. Built in the 1920, it’s intended to be an Italian-style villa. I used to work in Italy, and this estate really captures the “feel” of being in Italy. The art collection is small, but there are some gems and the whole thing is arranged to showcase the artwork as well as give you a sense of the building as a home (apparently a home for people who had more money than they knew what to do with, but still) during the oil-rich days of the 1920s.

There is also a great formal garden. My only regret is that when I visited, it was the summer and 100+ degrees, so it was difficult (for this northerner) to spend very much time enjoying the outdoors.