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The Story Behind the Bar
Where Tulsa's past comes to drink
Long before this location was making cocktails, it was first making Tulsa history.
Built in 1923 by the legendary Tulsa oilman and philanthropist, Waite Phillips, the building now known as the Beacon Building rose at the corner of 4th and Boulder during one of the most transformative periods in Tulsa’s history.
Behind its grand Beaux-Arts facade were bankers, oilmen, attorneys, entrepreneurs and dealmakers. Money changed hands. Businesses were built. Fortunes rose and fell. And for more than a century, the building stood watch over a city becoming the Oil Capital of the World.
Brick by brick, the foundation was laid...
The building began its life as a center of Tulsa commerce.
Its magnificent banking lobby became home to a succession of financial institutions, including Fourth National Bank, which operated here from 1923 until 1967. The bank operating in the very hall we serve the people of Tulsa today.
The floors above the bank is where Tulsa’s booming oil industry went to work.
During the height of Tulsa’s oil era, businessmen walked these halls making the deals that helped shape both the city and the industry.
It was a building where Tulsa did business. Where introductions were made. Where hands were shaken. And where fortunes could be made before lunch.
A Building That Refused to Disappear
The Beacon has survived more than a century of Tulsa history.
Banks came and went. Oil companies moved into newer towers. The famous rooftop beacon disappeared from the skyline.
Then, during the 1980s, the building faced perhaps its greatest challenge when electrical transformer explosions involving PCB contamination forced extensive remediation and left much of the property vacant.
But the Beacon's metaphorical light shined on.
Following restoration, its offices once again filled with attorneys, professionals and Tulsa businesses. In later decades, new owners continued renovating and preserving the historic property.
In 2022, the building changed hands once again, beginning its next transformation.
The century-old offices above were converted into residences, breathing new life into a building originally constructed during Tulsa's roaring 1920s.
And downstairs, another chapter was waiting to be written...
The Exchange
The Exchange takes its inspiration from the world that once surrounded this very address.
The bankers.
The oilmen.
The entrepreneurs.
The travelers.
The deals that were made behind heavy doors and across polished tables.
Our name is a nod to the exchange of money, ideas, stories and possibilities that defined downtown Tulsa during its rise. But some of the best exchanges happen after business hours. Today, The Exchange invites you back into that world through a modern speakeasy rooted in the history of the building it calls home.
Settle in.
Order a drink.
Make a connection.
Exchange a story.
After all, people have been making deals at here since 1923.
We just simply prefer ours with a cocktail.
Supporters of the Arts
Live Music Nights
Here at The Exchange, we take pride in the historical art that surrounds our Tulsa roots. From the Art-Deco that adorns our lounge to the rich filling atmosphere of the Tulsa Jazz scene that brings life to our lounge live every Friday night.