Route 66 Oklahoma City: Insider's Guide to Landmarks, Restaurants and the Milk Bottle Building

This is the third of our series, Insider's Guides for Route 66 Oklahoma City. In this guide we tour 1940 and 1950 era buildings in a section of town now known as the Asian District. We pick up where we left off in our last Rte. 66 tour in an area of Oklahoma City known as Mid-Town.

We are at the Grateful Bean Cafe at 1039 N. Walker. Go West on either 10th or 13th street apx. one mile to Classen Street. This is a 4 lane, divided road that used to be a trolley line. In 1947 it became a paved road that was called a "freeway." Once you arrive at Classen Boulevard, head North.

Route 66 Oklahoma: The Plaza District, Oklahoma City

When you reach 16th street, turn West apx. 1 mile to the 'Plaza District'. This area was at the end of the trolley line. At the heart of this district is The Plaza Theater, 1727 NW 16th, which opened in 1936. It featured a Rock-Ola jukebox that rose from the stage and played hit tunes via telephone lines during intermission. It is now home to the Lyric Theater. It is surrounded by several restored buildings and businesses. As an aside, this area is not far from Flaming Lips Wayne Coyne's compound where he filmed Christmas on Mars.

Return to Classen Boulevard and resume North. Watch on your left for Cafe Antiqua at 1903 N. Classen. This is a family owned Guatemalan restaurant that has great food. We have eaten there only once when the food wasn't up to par. The service and low-frills, colorful atmosphere is always nice. The Guatemalan coffee is excellent and if you happen to be there at closing time, they give you all the coffee that is left in the pot instead of throwing it out. This isn't really a route 66 building, but we had to tell you about this restaurant.

You may notice a large building less than a block behind the cafe. This is the Classen School of Advanced Studies. The building was built in 1919 and is the oldest high school in Oklahoma City.

Route 66 Oklahoma: The Classen and The Gold Dome, Oklahoma City

Continue North on Classen until you see a gold-colored, high-rise building on your right. This is 'The Classen' which is apartments now. In 1966 it was originally constructed in the style of Frank Lloyd Wright as an office building. It is a 21 story, hexagon building of glass, aluminum and marble located at 2200 N. Classen.

Right next to 'The Classen' is 'The Gold Dome.' This is a geodesic dome based on the patent by the famous futurist and architect, Buckminster Fuller. It began construction in 1958 and was the 5th geodesic dome built in the world. It was the first built of gold adonized aluminum. It is located at 1112 NW 23rd Street, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is currently an office and retail space.

Route 66 Oklahoma: Tower Theater and The Milk Bottle, Oklahoma City

Turn East or right onto 23 Street and you are on the original route 66 in Oklahoma City. Go about ½ block to 425 NW 23rd and you will see the marquis for the Tower Theatre which was built in 1937. It had 1500 seats and a pipe organ at that time. It has now been renovated into office space.

Now go back to Classen and head North about ¼ mile. At 2426 N. Classen Blvd you will see what is known as 'The Milk Bottle.' This is a small, one story, triangular building with a huge milk bottle on top. It was built in the 1930's as a dairy outlet. It drew people from all around because it meant they could also purchase a block of ice. The street car stopped here until 1947. The 18 foot tall milk bottle was added on top of the building in 1948.

Just behind The Milk Bottle about ½ block is an Asian Supermarket called Super Cao Nguyen. Although it's not a route 66 tour stop, if you have never experienced one of these markets, it is worth the time to go in and stretch your legs. You are transported to another country. You will hear accents, smell foreign food and see sights that surprise, delight and intrigue you.

Experience the Delightful Asian District

If you go to the back of the store where the meat market is, be prepared to see tanks of fish swimming around and things like duck heads hanging from the ceiling. We once picked up a square 4"X4" package and it was full of dried minnows. There is a huge variety of food although most of it we don't know what it is or what it is used for. It is still fun to visit there and they serve good, fresh spring rolls daily.

If you have not tasted Vietnamese food, this is your chance. You are currently in the Asian District of Oklahoma City and have several restaurant choices available. Vietnamese food is Chinese and French cuisine so it's some of our favorite. If you get a chance for Ca phe sua nong, try it. It is Vietnamese coffee and it is wonderful. It's a French press type coffee with sweetened condensed milk so you only need one cup.

The Lido at 2518 N. Military is behind 'The Milk Bottle.' They serve excellent food and have a beautiful saltwater fish tank in the restaurant. The Golden Phoenix at 2728 N. Classen is another good restaurant famous for its curry dishes. One or our favorite Vietnamese meals is one where you make your own spring rolls. Dipping sauces come with them for a variety of flavors. We have received reviews from many different people on several of the Vietnamese restaurants in this area of town. We have never heard a complaint even on the smaller soup restaurants that line Classen.

Route 66 Oklahoma: Kamp's Market, Oklahoma City

Continue North on Classen to 1310 NW 25th street to Kamp's Market. Currently it is a cafe, bakery, gourmet grocery store, flower shop, delicatessen and meat market. They have served Oklahoma City for almost a century and the Kamp family ran the store from its opening in 1919 until 1995. Bill Kamp continues to run the Meat Department. It has the old wood floors and an old general store feel to it to this day.

It is interesting to note that whenever any of the buildings in this area changes hands, there is always an uproar as to whether the buildings will remain the same. So far, new owners have assured the city that they will continue the tradition.

This concludes our tour of the Asian District. We hope you take time to experience its many delights. In our next article, we continue our Route 66 tour to other parts of Oklahoma City.

Our previous Route 66 Oklahoma City tour articles include overnight recommendations and a tour of Mid-Town.

Sources:
Author's Own Knowledge
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold_Dome