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Irish Anchor
Arnie’s on St. Patrick’s is legendary, but in it’s somewhat new location at 2nd St. and Elgin Ave. in what some have come to call “the Blue Dome District,” it has already become a fixture connecting downtown with the Brady District and what may become the city’s new “East End” entertainment district. One enters the hallowed doors walking right past the flower-filled windows boxes on 2nd Street through the leaded glass door to a room where a sepia-framed photo of a smiling man greets you in a space just a wee bit wider than the original Arnie’s. "That’s Arnie," the bartender tells me as I make my way passed high tables and a booth or two and the original mahogany bar and framed mirror-draped in green paper shamrocks, cut like a chorus line of paper dolls. It’s a colorful place. Another glass door, on the left, opens to a lovely courtyard with tables and chairs in Irish beer garden style. "We’re gonna sell a lot of Guinness today, "smiles Hopkins, a long time worker at Arnie’s, as he directs me to this welcoming outdoor space in the glorious afternoon sun. Wee Bit of History
Years later, sometime after Arnie’s retirement, the bar was taken over by Donal Cosgrave, a Tulsa lad with Killarney roots. Cosgrave kept it going on 15th Street, until he could no longer secure a long-term lease. The bar literally went into cold storage for a time until Cosgrove could find a suitable location and lease for the legacy he was determined to preserve. Keeping the dream alive he eventually met up with Michael Sager, owner of various downtown buildings, who had a love for the history of the place. A deal was struck for Cosgrave, who was soon joined by his brother, Neil, in this effort, to resurrect Arnie’s on Valentine’s Day, 2000. It was a labor of love. Fittingly, the “new” location also has a storied past. Originally a 1912 Gulf station, this amusement-type novelty attraction was built to encourage drivers to bring their vehicles in for gas. Open 24 hours with an on-duty attendant who lived in the apartment upstairs in the dome itself, the station boasted at being one of only a few buildings in the area with hot and cold running water and an air compression mechanism for pumping gas. With hundreds of lights under the lip of the dome, this Moorish-styled, ornate gem of architecture glowed like an amusement park ride. As the building went though several transformations, it ended up as a bar for most of its subsequent history. If the Blue Dome could speak, it would tell of the day it became Veteran’s Bar in the 1930's, and later, a place where down-and-outs could find a warm place, a strong drink and get their face washed as well. Like Hell’s Kitchen on the New York Bowery, it was part flop house, part filling station of another kind. It was also a place that many so-called respected citizens wanted to pretend wasn’t there. The dome building, among other transitions, in the early years, was a place where Irish immigrants came to find work, and later, an establishment owned by a Lebanese family who cut hair in back room and served beer in the front. Green Future
According to Hopkins, "They’ve been unable to get rid of me since." Then there’s the young bearded man tending bar with the glint in his eye of a leprechaun, who wants to be known only as "the early bartender of this day." He confides, on his break, "I marvel at how people have no limits in their heads as to the amount of Guinness they can consume." There’s talk of finishing out a back room for parties and then, some day, the serving of comestibles, like Mom’s Irish Stew, the staple served here only on St. Patty’s Day. Mom is Mary Cosgrave, who now lives in Killarney. She comes to Tulsa each year for her sons’ Donal and Neil celebration of the Irish Feast Day. On any given day, the bar is frequented by regulars and passersby, visitors from distant cities and curious locals who have yet to discover this safe haven of Irish hospitality. Things will be hopping this weekend in particular as the city’s annual Scottish Games get into full swing up at Chandler Park. Sure, the Irish and Scots at one time were mortal enemies, but in this melting pot world, the diversity that at one time divided cultures now serves to bring them together. And at Arnies, you can get anybody to drink to that. |
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If you visit any city of any size, one thing you can be sure of is being able to enjoy the kith and kin of an authentic Irish pub. In Tulsa for the past couple generations, that place has been Arnie’s—the place to be on St. Patrick’s Day, to be sure, but year ‘round this comfy neighborhood pub has been as true to old Erin’s Isle as a chip off the old Blarney Stone, so to speak.
Arnie Simmons opened Arnie’s Bar in 1956 on 15th St. Street. Years before it became a Tulsa landmark pub, this narrow space of a place was a hallway to a hotel on the second floor. Legend has it that behind it walls was an unofficial drinking haunt for police officers.
Today, the Blue Dome has found a novel place in a sea of cookie-cutter establishments. Here, everyone is like family. Hopkins, my greeter at the door, told me he met the Cosgraves at the 15th Street location on a walk with his brother. Curious to notice such a narrow building for a bar, Hopkins and his sibling walked in and felt immediately at home.
