Rotarians Dedicate Plaza on Williams Center Green
SERVICE ABOVE SELF: Rotarian Tim Colwell addresses the onlookers during the dedication of the Rotary Plaza on Williams Center Green in downtown Tulsa April 25.
GTR Newspapers photo
A gift of public art in a prominent downtown park is the Rotary Club of Tulsa’s official centennial project unveiled in 2012.
While the year 2015 marks the centennial of the world’s seventh largest Rotary Club, the celebrating in Tulsa has already begun.
The goal was to call attention to Tulsa’s volunteer spirit and Rotary’s role in the community and around the world. The result: five bronze sculptures, beautifully displayed on a landscaped plaza of granite, located in a high-profile setting between the Tulsa Performing Arts Center, the Hyatt Regency Hotel, City Hall and Williams Center.
The project was conceived in 2007, eight years before the centennial of the founding of the Rotary Club of Tulsa. The cost was $1 million, the largest project undertaken by the “downtown” Rotary club. The entire project has been funded by the club and its generous members.
The sculptures were created by noted Tulsa artists Jay O’Meilia and David Nunneley. Each of the individual bronzes sit on a granite pedestal that is inscribed with a message about the sculpture. Additionally, visitors can view a monument that provides a brief history of Tulsa and the story of this community’s emergence as America’s Most Generous City.
On the plaza, granite benches welcome visitors and downtown workers. Princeton elms provide a backdrop to the sculptures while dramatic landscape lighting illuminates the bronzes at night.
Ground was broken on Rotary Plaza on August 17, 2011 and the gift of public art was dedicated on April 25, 2012 by Ray Klinginsmith, immediate past president of Rotary International.
Updated 05-21-2012
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