Dec 24, 2020
Dec 24, 2020
53 years ago, lights shaped like Christmas trees hung from the âspiral cascadesâ in the intersections. The 19-story First National Bank and Trust Co., 15 E. Fifth St., was outlined with gold lights that came on at the same time as DTUâs.
In 1967, the lights appeared on the Friday after Thanksgiving, a day when downtown normally would have been deserted. But Tulsans hopped in their cars to drive down Main Street and Boulder and Boston avenues from Third to Seventh streets to enjoy the spectacle.
The downtown merchants were trying to up their game due to serious competition from Southland Shopping Center, which opened in 1965, and Southroads Mall, which opened in 1967. The two new malls were turning the 41st Street and Yale Avenue corridor into Tulsaâs most popular shopping area.