Artists and Entrepreneurs Are Expanding Downtown Guthrie
Artists and entrepreneurs are expanding downtown Guthrie
Guthrie is a great place for a weekend getaway with its historical charm, beautiful architecture and a host of artistic ways to spend time.
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For a close-to-home weekend retreat, Guthrie is an artsy and inviting destination.
The town is well-known for its historical relevance in Oklahoma.
The “Signature” room at Gallery Grazioso features dozens of framed photos of music stars. Photo by Heather Warlick, The Oklahoman.
MULTIMEDIA
Once the territorial capitol, then the state capitol, Guthrie is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The nation's largest urban historic district. The collection of late 19th and early 20th century Victorian buildings that comprise the city’s downtown makes a visit to Guthrie like taking a carriage ride back in time.
An urban renewal or renaissance of sorts is under way downtown, as artsy industrialists are working hard to renovate and restore many of the town’s historic buildings into art galleries, event spaces, restaurants and hotels. Artists, chefs and musicians are setting up shop and home where the living is a little slower and everything is in walking distance: there’s a grocery store within a couple blocks, there are at least five old-timey drugstores (and a drugstore museum), a post office, newspaper, restaurants, theater, a little night life and bowling all within a stone’s throw.
“As artists, we find that we can live here very economically,” said Tiffany Bohrer. She is a painting teacher, married to Joe Bohrer, aka “Utopia Joe,” a furniture artist. The couple just moved into a loft at Oklahoma Ave. and Second, above Gallery Grazioso, where Bohrer is executive director.
GOOD COMES TO TOWN
Though he’s not an artist, Gary Good, owner of the Gallery Grazioso, is an entrepreneur who, during the past few years, has also been buying in to the town’s allure.
Gary Good and his dog Jewel - photo by: Heather Warlick/The Oklahoman
For example, when he bought the building the gallery is housed in, it was mostly empty.
But when first built in 1902, the building was the Pabst Milwaukee Brewing Company. Legend has it that Mr. Pabst had an office upstairs, presumably in what is now the Suite Bettie Jean, a rentable loft that Good named for his mother.
He thought he’d fix up the empty corner space, but couldn’t find the fit he wanted from the businesses who were interested in leasing. Good imagined the space as an art gallery or a little theater or something that would add culture to the area.
After letting artist Bert Seabourn show his work there during a Guthrie Art Walk, Good decided to transform the space into Gallery Grazioso.
Good is the son of Al Good, the noted Oklahoma bandleader. Al Good died in 2003. The Al Good Orchestra he founded still plays and carries on his name throughout the state. Gary Good likewise has kept alive his family’s show biz legacy by operating Gary Good Entertainment and Speakers Bureau.
Inside Gallery Grazioso, visitors will find fine art by many local and national artists as well as a room full of signed, framed headshots of dozens of the famous musicians the Goods have worked with throughout the years.
The art of painters David Canavesio, Joy Richardson and Cheri Wollenberg are staples in the gallery. And, you’ll find some of Utopia Joe’s furniture creations on exhibit in the space.
For more information about the gallery, go to www.gallerygrazioso.com
Gallery Grazioso. Photo provided by: Tiffany Bohrer
Good has been busy rethinking several other Guthrie properties as hotels and special event venues. Tucked into the northwest corner of the downtown area are his Magnolia Moon and Magnolia Manor.
Both Magnolias (named for his grandmother who loved the flowers) are in prime downtown territory, but even many longtime Guthrie residents have no idea what lies behind the industrial-looking exterior walls of the property.
Magnolia Manor is either the first or second poured concrete structure in the state — there is a friendly feud between the manor and the Colcord Hotel in downtown Oklahoma City for the designation, Good said.
The Magnolia Manor - The Maestro Suite - Photo provided by: Tiffany Bohrer
Construction of both buildings was started in 1910 but the question is over which structure was finished first. The Manor sits off Cleveland Avenue, just east of the railroad tracks, and features three suites visitors can rent. Each is a mix of old and new — the industrial feel of the renovated suites is evident in the exposed cement floors and concrete walls, but softened by Good’s eclectic taste in art and contemporary decor.
The Magnolia Manor - The Maestro Suite - Photo provided by: Tiffany Bohrer
Next to Magnolia Manor, and sharing a large garden courtyard where couples can exchange vows or audiences can enjoy live music, is Magnolia Moon.
The Moon was built as an open-air stage and amphitheater in the 1980s but subsequent owners closed in the stage area with floor-to-ceiling windows that transformed it into a home with a Zen-like modern aesthetic.
The home is practically an art gallery in itself, where Good exhibits his own collection of favorite art pieces, music memorabilia and even signature walls signed by local and national stars.
Good stays in the Moon as often as possible, he said, for an idyllic getaway from his city home and hectic day-to-day lifestyle. The peaceful quiet found there is a huge part of the Magnolias’ allure.
Information about the Magnolia Moon can be found online at www.themagnoliamoon.com.
The Magnolia Moon - Photo provided by: Gary Good
THINGS TO DO
A creative way to spend an afternoon or evening in Guthrie is expressing yourself at a painting party with Bohrer, also known as “The Tipsy Artist.”
Tiffany Bohrer "The Tipsy Artist" - Photo by: Heather Warlick
She offers wine and painting parties several times each month at various locations.
On June 19, she’ll be at Vintage 89 Wine and Cocktail Bar, 121 W Harrison Ave. This class is for adults 21 and older. www.Vintage89.com
Vintage '89 Wine & Cocktail Bar. Photo provided by: Tiffany Bohrer
For children, Bohrer (who will not be tipsy while teaching, she assures) will offer a weekly program “that instills character building with art lessons,” at Gallery Grazioso, starting June 29. Students will create art, then curate and hang a real art show featuring their own works.
The final exhibition is set for July 27.
For more information on Bohrer’s classes, go to www.thetipsyartist.com
Like the Tipsy Artist on facebook at: www.facebook.com/TipsyArtist
Video provided by: The Tipsy Artist/ Produced by: Joe Bohrer
Art lovers will enjoy the easy stroll down the city blocks, in and out of the many art galleries and studios, museums, antique shops, home decor boutiques and other retail shops. The buildings themselves are a form of art, many of which were originally imagined by the first professional architect in the territory, Joseph Foucart.
“There’s a photo-op on every corner. It’s so picturesque,” Bohrer said. Movie director King Hollis must have agreed. In 2008, his crews hauled in tons of dirt to give the town a reverse makeover for the movie “Pearl.” The fact that you can travel back in time simply by dirtying the roads and trotting in horses and carriages is a big part of Guthrie’s charm. The streets have been cleaned and some of Guthrie’s former landmarks are history or have evolved.
Participants in "The Tipsy Artist" painting party pose with their paintings. Sitting in the center is Tiffany Bohrer. Location is Granny Had One Banquet Hall owned by Ben and April Coffin. Photo by Heather Warlick, The Oklahoman.
The once-favorite downtown restaurant Granny Had One is no longer an eat-in establishment; instead it is now a catering company owned by executive chef Ben Coffin and his wife, April Coffin. Like Bohrer and her husband, the Coffins live in a loft; theirs is above Granny Had One Banquet Hall, a beautiful event space the couple painstakingly remodeled in perfect harmony with early 1900 décor trends. Some of Bohrer’s painting parties will be held there, served up with the culinary artistry of Coffin. Find Granny Had One Catering Company on facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Granny-Had-One/184817387253
Ben and April Coffin. - Photo by: Joe Bohrer
While in Guthrie, you can take in a show at The Pollard Theatre, www.thepollard.org one of the region’s few professional theaters. “La Cage Aux Folles” runs from June 8-30. Before the show, you can enjoy an elegant dinner with live music at Vintage 89 Wine and Cocktail Bar, www.Vintage89.com energetic nightlife at Kenney's Irish Pub, or a casual down-home dinner at The Stables. www.StableCafe.com
Camera operator Dan Jackson between takes on the movie set of "Pearl" on Harrison Avenue in Guthrie, Okla. September 27, 2008. BY STEVE GOOCH, THE OKLAHOMAN. ORG XMIT: KOD Steve Gooch - The Oklahoman
Guthrie as the town hosts multiple music and art festivals.
Guthrie as the town hosts multiple music and art festivals.
- “A Good Weekend in Guthrie,” a festival featuring live music throughout the downtown, is June 16-17.
- The Guthrie Road Show is Sept. 15 and “Guthrie Escape,” an art, wine and music fest, is Oct. 6-7.
- The OK International Blues Fest is Oct. 4-6, and the Guthrie Art Walk is Nov. 10.
Read more: http://newsok.com/artists-and-entrepreneurs-are-expanding-downtown-guthrie/article/3681170#ixzz1x3PL4M7F
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