Deco District in Tulsa in Tulsa County, Oklahoma — The American South (West South Central)

The Mayo Building

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, April 8, 2025

1. The Mayo Building Marker

Inscription. Built as a 5-story office building and furniture store in 1910, the Mayo Building was expanded with a second wing in 1914, and raised to 10 stories in 1917. Along with other tenants, the building housed the Mayo family businesses and the Shell Oil Company offices for many years. The office building was closed in 1994, and following a complete renovation, was reopened as a multi-use building in 2010.

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places
2008

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Notable Buildings. In addition, it is included in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1910.

Location. 36° 9.101′ N, 95° 59.416′ W. Marker is in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in Tulsa County. It is in the Deco District. It is at the intersection of South Main Street and West 5th Street, on the right when traveling south on South Main Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 420 S Main St, Tulsa OK 74103, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Oklahoma’s Muscogee Nation

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and specifically in the Cherokee Nation.

It is also in the American South,

specifically on the prairies,

and on the Southern Plains.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture

and also the Louisiana Purchase.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: In Memoriam (within shouting distance of this marker); Philtower Building (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Mid-Continent Building (about 500 feet away); Pentane (C₅H₁₂) Molecular Model (about 600 feet away); Tulsa Municipal Building (about 700 feet away); The Adams (about 700 feet away); Tulsa (approx. 0.2 miles away); Oklahoma Natural Gas Company Building (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Tulsa.

Also see . . .
1. Mayo Building (PDF). National Register nomination and accompanying photos for the complex, which was listed in 2008. (Prepared by Cathy Ambler; via National Park Service) (Submitted on May 14, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

2. Mayo Building.

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, April 9, 2025

2. The Mayo Building Marker

The Mayo Building is the oldest of Tulsa’s existing oil business buildings. Constructed just as oil fever hit Tulsa, the Mayo Building is a good representation of the many moderately-sized office buildings that were essential to large and small companies needing office space in the Oil Capital of the World. (Tulsa Preservation Commission; via Internet Archive, archived Dec. 9, 2011) (Submitted on May 14, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

The Mayo Building image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, April 9, 2025

3. The Mayo Building

Looking northwest from East 5th Street at South Main Street. It also is a contributing building in the Oil Capital Historic District, listed in 2010.

Cass A. Mayo & John D. Mayo image. Click for full size.

Courtesy Tulsa Historical Society & Museum

4. Cass A. Mayo & John D. Mayo

The brothers, originally from Missouri, became business partners in a Tulsa furniture store in 1903. Riding the city's oil boom, they built a real-estate empire that included the Mayo Building and the iconic Mayo Hotel. They were inducted into the Tulsa Hall of Fame in 1997.

Credits. This page was last revised on May 14, 2025. It was originally submitted on May 14, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 135 times since then and 26 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on May 14, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.