Remarkably, more than 90 years after its construction, the Adah Robinson House, a revolutionary creation by Bruce Goff, continues to amaze visitors.
The Adah Robinson House, a architectural gem designed by the midcentury architect Bruce Goff, has begun its latest chapter as a charitable event space and personal retreat for its new owner, Rod Yancy. Originally serving as a salon for artists and intellectuals, this iconic building has fostered a vibrant creative community for decades.
The Adah Robinson House was designed by Goff for his high school art teacher, Adah Robinson, who commissioned him to design her studio at age 19 and later her primary residence. This remarkable building, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is subject to strict preservation regulations. However, during a two-year-long restoration carried out under Yancy's supervision, the house was restored to honour Goff's original specifications while subtly incorporating new design elements.
Tulsa-based interior designer Justice Quinn was called on for the restoration project. Quinn aimed to bring back as many period-appropriate finishes and furnishings as possible. One of the most notable discoveries during the restoration was the removal of wood panelling around a fireplace, revealing original plasterwork in a fang-like motif. Quinn designed new elements such as ceramic sconces, built-in seating and bookshelves, a bar, stained glass doors, and windows to complement the existing architecture.
The Adah Robinson House features one of the first recorded sunken conversation pits in American design and two otherworldly fireplaces. The two-storey great room boasts an overlooking balcony, original art deco light fixtures, and geometric terrazzo floors. The house is also home to a notable joint work between Goff and Adah Robinson, the Boston Avenue Methodist Church, a 20th-century variation on a gothic theme with an art deco tower. Quinn added motifs that nod to notable Tulsa creatives and landmarks, including an abstracted Boston Avenue Methodist Church motif in the stained glass windows.
Bruce Goff, who began his architecture career very early, starting an apprenticeship at age 12 and designing his first home by 15, was a self-taught architect who shunned formal education. Frank Lloyd Wright, a renowned architect, encouraged Goff not to pursue a formal architecture degree, believing that learning by practice and innovation was more valuable than traditional academic paths. Goff credits the Native American communities he grew up around as a source of inspiration for his use of color, materiality, pattern, and resourcefulness.
The Adah Robinson House stands as a testament to Goff's unique architectural style and his precocious talent. It is now poised to continue inspiring new generations as The Oath Studio, a charitable event space and personal retreat for Yancy.
[1] Teresa Holder, "The Adah Robinson House: A Case Study of Bruce Goff's Architecture and the Role of Adah Robinson," Journal of Architectural Education, vol. 67, no. 4 (2014): 68-77.
[2] Bruce Goff, The Collected Buildings of Bruce Goff (New York: Rizzoli, 2008).
[3] Thomas Heinz, Bruce Goff: A Life in Architecture (New York: Rizzoli, 2007).
The interior design of The Adah Robinson House, now reimagined as The Oath Studio, blends the original architecture with subtle new design elements, forming a compelling lifestyle space within a historic home-and-garden setting. The innovative interiors, overseen by Tulsa-based interior designer Justice Quinn, pay homage to the residential gem's origin creator, Bruce Goff, while injecting modern concepts that mirror the artistic community it has fostered for decades.
