Philtower Building
historic building in Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States
The Philtower Building is a historic building located at 427 South Boston Avenue in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Description and history
Completed in 1928, it was designed by Edward Buehler Delk and financed by renowned oilman and dedicated philanthropist Waite Phillips (1883–1964). Associated architects Keene & Simpson performed architectural supervision in the construction of the building. In 1941, Phillips deeded the Philtower Building to the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), along with most of his Philmont Ranch and Villa Philmonte. The income from the building was used to help support Philmont. In 1977, the BSA sold the Building to a group of local investors. This group, The Philtower LLC, is the current owner. It is an example of neo-Gothic and art deco architecture.
According to the Tulsa Preservation Commission, the building represents the Gothic Revival architecture style. A notable feature is the illuminated, sloping tiled roof.
“Philtower Building” enters the record as historic building in Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Philtower, Building and historic can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Philtower Building” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Philtower, Building and historic provides the most credible route into that argument.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 31, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q3381275. Authority coordinates are 36.152, -95.989. 1 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1928, 1883, 1964 and 1941.
Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Philtower Building”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Philtower Building primary sources, Philtower Building archive and Philtower research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Philtower Building”?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Philtower Building” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.