Tulsa City Council Approving Additional Funding For Gilcrease Reconstruction

The reconstruction of Gilcrease Museum is running behind schedule and over budget, but additional fundraising is underway to close a funding gap now estimated at $20 million.

The Tulsa City Council will approve $6 million more for the museum, to keep construction moving and finish the shell of the building. The $20 million needed is for interior work.

Gilcrease Director Susan Neal said fundraising has been successful to supplement the $84 million dollars in public funds already committed.

Private donors have created a $25 million endowment fund for maintenance and contributed $37 million for construction.

The building will house 350,000 objects collected by Thomas Gilcrease and donated to the City of Tulsa.

It’s considered the most extensive collection of western art and early native American objects outside of the Smithsonian. Mayor G.T. Bynum has described it as the most valuable asset owned by the City.

The newest infusion of cash comes from sales tax projects that came in under budget in the last few years.

The construction at Gilcrease has reached ground level at the entrance, with most of the work until now focused on the lower levels and foundation on the west side.

The new building will be smaller than the original, but have more gallery space, and will be 35’ taller to give visitors a clear view of downtown and a better view of the Osage Hills.

Neal said costs soared just as construction started, and some items are 30% more expensive.

“And so we began to raise money from the private sector, and we've been successful but I don't think anyone was prepared for the second phase of the pandemic with the supply chain, labor and cost of goods, that set this country upside down,” she said.

The construction on the shell of the building could be complete by the end of 2024, but interior work, and a delay to ventilate the building afterward is expected to push the opening of the museum into 2026.