The Abundant Life Building

[tmh8286]

Before yesterday I'd never heard of the Abundant Life Building.  But yesterday I came across a postcard from the fifties showing the building.  After living in Tulsa for twenty five years, and for most of that being fairly plugged in at ORU, this was the first I'd ever heard of it. 

Then today, the Tulsa World runs the following article:

Abundant Life Building next on city?s action list

. . . complete with the same picture + fifty years:

From the article:

Sitting vacant since the 1980s, with chunks of concrete crumbling off the facade, the Abundant Life Building doesn?t seem to be the center of much activity these days, except perhaps for pigeons and rats.

But a lot is happening. It?s just happening several blocks away at City Hall, where officials are gearing up for a big push to bring abundant life back to the property.

?There?s a lot going on behind the scenes,? said Kevin Cox, in charge of neighborhood inspections for the city.

Within the next few weeks, officials plan to besiege the building with fire, health and code inspections, looking for issues to bring before an administrative hearing.

Under regulations that took effect in August, the administrative hearing could impose fines up to $1,000 a day until the property owner brings the building up to code.

Built in 1958, the building hasn't been used since the '80's according to the article.  Thankfully, with all the rest that's going on at ORU, this isn't a headache they're having to deal with now - the building was sold to David Horton Ministries in 1997.

[TrueBlue82]

In the early 80's I used to work for a client just down the street from this building.  If I'm not mistaken, the words "Oral Roberts" in script (similar to the one used in OREA publications) was written right above the frame of the front entry door.  I wonder if it is still there today?

[tmh8286]

Sorry, Blue, I hit "Post" when I meant to hit "Preview" before I was done, so what you responded to was only part of the final post.

An additional irony to this article is that I recognized the small corner of the building across the street as the place where a buddy of mine works - along with a bunch of other ORU grads.  I emailed him about the Abundant Life Building, and he sent the following humorous reply: "It is an eye-sore and everyone in the office somehow seems to "blame" ORU grads for its existence." 

I'll ask him if the insignia you described is still there today.

[tmh8286]

Thanks to our buddies over on the TU board for this additional link, showing early and more recent pics of the ALB:

Abandoned Tulsa