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Philbrook Museum of Art in Tulsa, OK
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Philbrook Museum of Art

  • Museum
  • In Tulsa, Oklahoma
  • 1.7 mi from Route 66
  • National Register of Historic Places
DirectionsOpenStreetMap

The Philbrook Museum of Art in Tulsa, OK, fills Villa Philbrook, the 1920s home of Waite Phillips, an Oklahoma oil pioneer, and his wife, Genevieve. Opened as a museum in 1939, it holds nine collections from around the world, led by Native American baskets, pottery, paintings and jewelry, and it is surrounded by large formal gardens. It lies about 2 miles off the old road and makes a relaxed half-day stop in Tulsa.

What is Philbrook Museum of Art?

Philbrook is an art museum set inside a grand former residence, so visitors see both the collections and the house that holds them. The nine collections span many media and styles and come from all over the world.

Native American art is the anchor. That collection includes basketry, pottery, paintings and jewelry, and it is the part many travelers come to see. Outside, broad formal gardens surround the villa, which gives the visit a second, open-air half. The property is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

History of Philbrook Museum of Art

Waite Phillips, one of Oklahoma's oil pioneers, and his wife Genevieve lived in the villa after it was built in the 1920s. By 1939 it had become an art museum, and it has kept the name Philbrook ever since. The change turned a private family estate into a public place where anyone can walk the rooms and gardens.

Visiting Philbrook Museum of Art: tips

Plan on two to three hours if you want time for both the galleries and the gardens. It is not free to visit. Restrooms are on site, parking is available, it is listed as wheelchair accessible and it is considered kid-friendly.

Woodward Park, known for its azaleas and rose garden, is only about 0.6 miles away, so a garden lover can easily do both. The Cities Service Station No. 8 is about 2.3 miles off, and the Sinclair Service Station is about 2.4 miles away for a dose of old roadside architecture.

Practical info

Address
2727 South Rockford Road, Tulsa, OK 74114
Phone
+1 800-324-7941
Website
philbrook.org
Hours
Wed, Thu, Sat, Sun 9–5 · Fri 9 am–9 pm
On site & nearby

Sources: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) · Wikidata · official site — may be outdated. Suggest a fix

Where to eat near Philbrook Museum of Art

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  • Mother Road Market in Tulsa, OK
    Diner & restaurant

    Mother Road Market

    Tulsa, OK · 1.7 mi from Philbrook Museum of Art

    Tulsa's first food hall, a nonprofit on Route 66 with food and retail tenants and a mini golf course.

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Stops near Philbrook Museum of Art

All of Oklahoma
Woodward Park in Tulsa, OK

Woodward Park

Tulsa, Oklahoma · 1.1 mi from Route 66

A 45-acre Tulsa park and garden famous for azaleas, with a rose garden holding more than 9,000 roses.

Nature & parksPhoto credit

0.6 mi from Philbrook Museum of Art

Meadow Gold sign in Tulsa, OK

Meadow Gold sign

Tulsa, Oklahoma · on Route 66

A 1934 Meadow Gold dairy sign, saved in 2004 and now on its own brick pavilion on 11th Street in Tulsa.

Retro roadsidePhoto credit

1.7 mi from Philbrook Museum of Art

Buck Atom's Cosmic Curios on 66

Tulsa, Oklahoma · on Route 66

A Route 66 gift shop in Tulsa with a 21-foot space cowboy and a 19-foot space cowgirl out front.

Retro roadside

1.7 mi from Philbrook Museum of Art

Cities Service Station No. 8 in Tulsa, OK

Cities Service Station No. 8

Tulsa, Oklahoma · on Route 66

A 1940 Cities Service filling station in Modern Movement style, listed on the National Register.

Retro roadsidePhoto credit

2.3 mi from Philbrook Museum of Art

Sinclair Service Station in Tulsa, OK

Sinclair Service Station

Tulsa, Oklahoma · on Route 66

A 1929 Spanish-style gas station with a tiled roof, standing on Tulsa's original Route 66 alignment.

Retro roadsidePhoto credit

2.4 mi from Philbrook Museum of Art

Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame in Tulsa, OK

Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame

Tulsa, Oklahoma · 0.2 mi from Route 66

A music hall and museum in Tulsa's old Union Depot honoring Oklahoma's jazz, blues and gospel players.

MuseumPhoto credit

2.5 mi from Philbrook Museum of Art

Questions about Philbrook Museum of Art

What is the Philbrook Museum known for?

Its Native American art, including basketry, pottery, paintings and jewelry, and the 1920s villa and formal gardens it occupies.

Whose house was Villa Philbrook?

It was the home of Waite Phillips, an oil pioneer, and his wife, Genevieve, before it became a museum in 1939.

Own or run Philbrook Museum of Art? Send us a photo or a correction.

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