Architectural Masterpiece to be Preserved

OKLAHOMA CITY, Aug. 12, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Gold Dome building based on Buckminster Fuller's geodesic dome will be preserved. TEEMCO, an Oklahoma-based environmental professional engineering firm has purchased the architecturally historic Gold Dome building located on legendary Route 66.  As one of the first geodesic domes in the world, the Gold Dome is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places.

Built in 1958, the building's architects (Bailey, Bozalis, Dickinson, and Roloff) utilized Buckminster Fuller's geodesic dome design. It was the third geodesic dome building ever built in the world. Architect, philosopher, author, engineer and futurist, Buckminster Fuller explored the use of nature's constructing principles to find design solutions. While he was not the first architect to build a geodesic dome, he was awarded a U.S. Patent for his dome structure.

It was a dome of many firsts:  the first dome to have a gold-anodized aluminum roof, the first above-ground geodesic dome, and the first Kaiser Aluminum dome used as a bank and was billed as the "Bank of Tomorrow."  The building's complex web of gold hexagons represented the bright optimism for America's new frontier in space. It was also intended to reflect Oklahoma's legacy in aviation and space.  The dome's exuberant form of modernism can't be found anywhere else in America today. The Gold Dome has been featured on The History Channel, in The Atlantic Monthly, Los Angeles Times, Preservation magazine, and numerous other publications.

TEEMCO will move sixty-five of its national-headquarters staff from Edmond, Oklahoma into the 27,000 square-foot landmark in late 2013.

"Our company believes the building should be preserved for future generations to appreciate," said Greg Lorson, CEO of TEEMCO.  "Revitalizing the Gold Dome reflects our core belief in protecting the environment; whether natural or man-made." Lorson explained, "We intend to restore as many original elements to the building as possible while introducing some new complimentary elements to the lobby such as a water feature and high-tech feature. In the end, we want the building to represent a coming together of nature, physics, art, and technology. In this way the building will be functional art communicating the value of man's positive impact on our environment."

It will be renamed the TEEMCO Gold Dome.  The TEEMCO Foundation will soon host a groundbreaking event for the Gold Dome.  The Foundation exists to benefit people in need of health, education, and welfare support. The groundbreaking event will be a fundraiser to help Moore area tornado relief efforts and an Oklahoma woman in dire need of a kidney transplant.

About TEEMCO
TEEMCO is the nation's leading environmental engineering firm for the oil, gas, agriculture, and marine industries. The company has also developed several proprietary software solutions for environmental compliance management and risk management. Headquartered in Edmond, OK, TEEMCO has offices in Houston; Midland, TX; Pittsburg, KS; Pittsburgh, PA; and Washington, D.C.

SOURCE TEEMCO