Downtown Tulsa Sun Building A Quirky Tribute To Its Builder

The Sun Building in downtown Tulsa is proof, once again, of the old adage you can’t tell a book by its cover. The building’s Plain Jane exterior hides some interesting and quirky features inside.

The building was completed in 1954. Built by Sunray Oil president C. H. Wright, the original plans called for 12 floors. However, Mr. Wright’s favorite number was 13, so he demanded a 13th floor. After trying several numbering schemes, they settled on skipping the 12th floor and going from 11 to 13.

“They made the 13th floor the top executive floor," said Kelly Baker, building manager.

Kelly Baker has been the building manager at the Sun Building for 30 years. He says the 13th floor had 13 executive offices and C. H. Wright’s office was numbered 1313.

If that sounds quirky, there’s more. The building has a penthouse, basically a two-bedroom apartment for visiting VIPs. It appears to never have been updated, so it looks like it is right out of the '50s. It features a vintage kitchen, a rock fireplace and a roof-top patio with a wonderful view of downtown Tulsa.

The Sun Building is much more than meets the eye.