The Oklahoma Eagle Newswire
After a recommendation from the Greenwood Cultural Center Board, Mayor G.T. Bynum selected the Moody Nolan / JCJ Architecture team to lead the Greenwood Cultural Center’s renovation project
Moody Nolan will oversee the design and serve as a cultural adviser for the renovations, JCJ Architecture will be the local architect of record.
“We want the Greenwood Cultural Center to be more than just a meeting space,” Mayor Bynum said. “Thanks to Tulsa voters, the renovations will create a state-of-the-art facility that honors Greenwood’s past while helping build and support future generations of Tulsans.”
Moody Nolan is the largest African American-owned architecture firm in the country, and it is the 2021 AIA Architecture Firm of the Year. The firm has designed numerous African American history and culture projects across the country, including serving as executive architect for the International African American Museum in Charleston, South Carolina, which is currently under construction.
“We look forward to bringing our national presence and expertise on cultural facilities to the Greenwood Cultural Center,” says Curt Moody, founder and chairman of the board of Moody Nolan. “We recognize the significance of this project to not only Tulsa, but to American history.”
Tulsa voters approved $5.3 million in 2019’s Improve Our Tulsa sales tax renewal package for the Greenwood Cultural Center’s improvements.
“We are thrilled about renovating the Greenwood Cultural Center; it is the heart of Greenwood and Black Wall Street in Tulsa,” said Dr. La Verne Ford Wimberley, chairwoman of the Greenwood Cultural Center Board of Directors. “This Center will welcome people from all over. It will be a place where people can learn the story of Greenwood, see the artifacts, and experience what has sustained us over the years.”
The project includes a complete remodel of the existing facility, including the Main Atrium, the Goodwin Chapelle Gallery, the Opal Dargan Auditorium, various classrooms, office spaces, restrooms and kitchen improvements. General maintenance, painting, and fixture replacements will be done inside the Mabel B. Little House.
About Moody Nolan
Moody Nolan is the country’s largest African American-owned architecture firm. It is the recipient of the 2021 Architecture Firm Award from the American Institute of Architects (AIA), which is the highest honor the AIA bestowed on an architecture practice.
Headquartered in Columbus, OH, Moody Nolan was founded in 1982 with just two employees. It has grown to more than 200 employees across 11 offices and has received notable national recognition and awards.
Moody Nolan specializes in corporate, education, sports/recreation, collegiate, healthcare, housing/mixed-use, and public service facilities. For more information about Moody Nolan, visit www.moodynolan.com.
