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The Oklahoma city is looking forward while reckoning with its legacy. share this article
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In May, all eyes were on Tulsa as the city marked the centennial of the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921. The attack in which mobs of white residents attacked Black residents and businesses in the city’s 35-block Greenwood District is believed to be the single deadliest and most destructive act of racial violence in U.S. history, and its scars are still evident in Oklahoma’s second-largest city, which sits on the Arkansas River. But for travelers looking to understand what it means to see “America,” perhaps there is no better city than one like Tulsa, which is looking forward while reckoning with the legacy of its past.
âI thought, âTulsa is great,ââ DeCort remembers. âThen he took me downtown.â
The BOK Center was still three years from opening, and downtown remained largely abandoned after dark and on the weekends. The majestic Mayo Hotel was still vacant, and the art deco Skelly Building had recently been reduced to rubble.
âHistoric preservation was going to be a challenge in Tulsa,â she says. âBut I was up for a challenge.â
DeCort will leave Tulsa after meeting that challenge for 15 years, first as a historic preservation officer for the city of Tulsa and for the last five years as executive director of the Tulsa Foundation for Architecture.