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Citizens Bank Gold Dome

City/Town:
Location Class:
Built: 1958 | Abandoned: 2015
Historic Designation: National Register of Historic Places (2003)
Status: AbandonedEndangeredFor Sale
Photojournalist: Donated
gold dome
“Myron Horton, right, president of the Citizens State Bank of Oklahoma City, receives key to the striking new aluminum dome building from Robert Roloff, of the Oklahoma City architectural firm of Bailey, Bozalis, Dickinson & Roloff, designers of the building.Creator: Unknown. January 9, 1959.

This land wasn’t always used for banking purposes, in fact, its former life was used for education purposes. The Citizens State Bank signed a contract with OKCPS in 1956 to buy the old Jefferson School for 351,000 on a corner of NW 23rd Street, an up and coming area. Attempts to sell the property had been made for 5 years as the old building just houses office and administrative spaces for the district. After the sale all the remaining offices would transfer to the OKCPS Admin Building. Citizen State Bank made a $50,000 deposit upon closing and $151,000 on the second payment.

At the time of building this new state-of-the-art bank Citizens State Bank was the ninth largest bank in Oklahoma with deposits of around $20 million. Robert B. Roloff of Bailey, Bozalis, Dickinson, and Roloff architecture firm were hired to design the building. Secor Construction Co started work on the futuristic dome on December 1, 1957 with Pete Novak as building superintendent. It was the first of the Kaiser Aluminum Co. domes to be used as a bank, 625 diamond “gold” aluminum panels would be assembled to create the iconic landmark we know today.  With 16 tellers on available on the main floor and 4 drive-in windows, it allowed for quick and efficient service. Two vaults encased in concrete would keep safety deposit boxes and cash safe from thieves. In the 1970s they added a drive-thru was added to accommodate the rise in automobiles.

And as some would say, you can’t have a bank without a few robberies. Citizens National Bank would experience theirs on April 11, 1965. It was just before 11 am when a 21-year-old man later identified as Roy Leon Grider Jr. approached teller Linda Hampton at teller station No. 9. Ransom note in hand detailing he would harm her if she did not give her all the money, he went unnoticed by about a hundred patrons and staff. Fearing for her life she complied and he made off with around $3,231. Arrested with his 16-year-old runaway girlfriend Sandra Putney, he was held on $110,000 bond and she in a county detention home. He was also wanted for a previous robbery in California where he made off with around $1,500. The clue that led to his capture was a pink auto registration slip attached to the back of the threatening note.

About two decades later the bank was struggling greatly and federal regulators closed it on August 14, 1986. This would be the third largest bank failure in the state at the time and not one that came without consequences. Liberty National Bank purchased the insured deposits and the building. It would then turn around and days later fire 67 Citizen employees. The Gold Dome location would become a branch of the Liberty Bank.

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Save the Dome Protest Credit: Unknown

In 1997 they would undergo a transition to become Bank One and their locations all across the state were renamed. Around 2000 Bank One felt it was time to downsize the structure from 27,000 square ft to 5,000. They had announced in July 2001 that they would move forward with demolition and then selling part of the property to Walgreens. Protests quickly stirred and buzz in the media spread like wildfire. One protester, Jospeh Mills, said “I just kind of assumed a structure like this would always be there just due to its architectural significance. Multiple entities including the OKC Historic Preservation Commission, State Historic Preservation Office, Preservation Oklahoma, OKC AIA Chapter and concerned citizens from all over the city came together and protested destroying the landmark with weekly rallies across the street from the Gold Dome. Their voices were heard and the demolition was put off with Walgreens looking elsewhere to build and Bank One allowed for an extension of time to find a new buyer for the building.

Dr. Irene Lam then purchased the Gold Dome in a quick act to secure it from demolition. The bank building was then listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003. It is significant being only the third geodesic dome in the world upon its construction in 1958 and as the only dome in the state constructed for a commercial purpose. For the next three years it underwent conversion to office use. Major work included the retention and repair of the anodized gold dome on exterior and interior, the use of clear partitioning for interior tenant spaces, and cleaning and repair of historic terrazzo flooring. 

Though Dr. Lam defaulted on the building loan in August 2012 and the building went into foreclosure sparking worries again. Just a month later David Box bought the property at auction for $800,000, promising at the time that he would leave it intact. About six months later, he sought a demolition permit to replace the iconic dome with a gas station. Met with a sea of voices Box turned the building over to TEEMCO, an environmental services company.  TEEMCO announced grand plans to restore the building, but other than painting the dome a crazy shade of yellow and painting parts of the facade a copper green, not much was done. A lot of controversial and illegal business dealings sent the owner to prison and once again the building was under Box’s control. He listed it for sale in 2015 upon which Johnathan Russell of Land Run Development purchased it for $1.1 million.

 

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Gold Dome Drive-Thru Demolition 2019 Mark Faulk

In 2019 things started to look grim for the former bank building as excavators and large dumpsters loomed on the lot. Midwest Wrecking Co brought down the drive-thru of the building to make the property more attractive to potential buyers. The Urban Design Commission approved the demolition project. The famous gold dome was untouched but still, this was too close for comfort. Preservationists once again were on extra high alert for what would happen to the building.

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Gold Dome Live Venue Rendering

Over the years the Gold Dome has been the center of many different preservation protests and restoration attempts. The most recent of those attempts was around 2021 when a company called Temple Live out of nearby Arkansas. They were to close on the property that summer but that too failed. With time not on the Gold Dome’s side, it now hangs in the balance on whether or not  it will be demolished or finally saved from the wrecking ball.




Bibliography

https://www.news9.com/story/60664a035c4c040bbc8b9020/company-wants-to-turn-okcs-gold-dome-into-a-concert-venue?fbclid=IwAR0HDjYonQNg_Qy2j9jM4XhxrykY0ov-AxaamstVB7lLVj2p6Dp0EVHMza8

https://www.newspapers.com/image/legacy/449572767/?terms=citizens%20bank&match=1[Photograph 2012.201.B0961.0535]photographJanuary 9, 1959; (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc470379/accessed August 16, 2022), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.

https://www.newspapers.com/image/legacy/449678643/?terms=citizens%20bank&match=1

https://www.newspapers.com/image/legacy/449678737/?terms=citizens%20bank&match=1

https://www.newspapers.com/image/legacy/449678683/?terms=citizens%20bank&match=1

https://www.newspapers.com/image/legacy/449678675/?terms=citizens%20bank&match=1

https://www.newspapers.com/image/legacy/449678683/?terms=citizens%20bank&match=1

https://www.newspapers.com/image/legacy/451686493/?terms=citizens%20bank&match=1

https://www.newspapers.com/image/legacy/451685128/?terms=citizens%20bank&match=1

https://www.newspapers.com/image/legacy/454180687/?terms=bank%20one&match=1

https://www.newspapers.com/image/legacy/455351506/?terms=bank%20one&match=1

https://www.newspapers.com/image/legacy/451670986/?terms=citizens%20bank&match=1

https://www.newspapers.com/image/legacy/451686390/?terms=citizens%20bank&match=1

A History of Oklahoma’s Mod Domes, Part 2: The Gold Dome

 

Citizens Bank Gold Dome
Emily Cowan

Emily is a two-time published author of "Abandoned Oklahoma: Vanishing History of the Sooner State" and "Abandoned Topeka: Psychiatric Capital of the World". With over two hundred published articles on our websites. Exploring since 2018 every aspect of this has become a passion for her. From educating, fighting to preserve, writing, and learning about history there is nothing she would rather do.

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Emily Cowan

Emily is a two-time published author of "Abandoned Oklahoma: Vanishing History of the Sooner State" and "Abandoned Topeka: Psychiatric Capital of the World". With over two hundred published articles on our websites. Exploring since 2018 every aspect of this has become a passion for her. From educating, fighting to preserve, writing, and learning about history there is nothing she would rather do.

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Mario constanncio
Mario constanncio
22 hours ago

I love it I wish to do the renovations on this building and make it a homeless shelter I was moved the other day when two people were found deceased under there blankets due to bitter cold I wish to stop that madness and turn no one away cause of no ID, or it being to late ,my future wife and I are working on this project my family owns blue cat construction LLC and ready to start making or dream of help become a reality I can even begin telling you everything we are going to do rest asure… Read more »

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