The “Center of the Universe” is a little-known acoustic phenomenon in Downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma marked by a small concrete circle in the middle of a larger circle of bricks. It’s not much to look at however, looking isn’t really the point. If you stand in the middle of the circle and make a noise, the sound is echoed back several times louder than it was made. It’s your own private amplified echo chamber.
A brick path leads to the pedestrian bridge that goes over the railroad tracks, accessible from the corner of W. Archer St. and N. Boston Ave. It is located directly northwest of the old Union Train Depot (now the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame), and immediately north of the Williams Center Tower.
The inner child in me truly enjoyed listening to myself and I was smiling from ear to ear. This acoustic oddity truly brought out my inner child.
As the legend goes, a foghorn could be going off in the center of the circle and those on the outside wouldn’t hear it. This may be an exaggeration, but your voice does sound extremely distorted when heard from outside the circle. It’s an incredible effect.
I would make note that when the train is running beneath the overpass that is all I could hear.
A stone's throw away from the Center of the Universe is another Tulsa landmark, the "Artificial Cloud" statue, sculptured by artist Bob Haozous that he created in 1991, although local newspaper accounts indicate that it was installed in 1992.
If you can see this sculpture from the street you are within walking distance of the center of the universe.
I absolutely loved this stop on my adventures; so much so that I am going back to visit again. I enjoyed being in Tulsa and found it to be a friendly and captivating city. I enjoyed TULSA TIME and understand the song so much better for having visited there.
I would note that from the direction I visited this site, it was not wheelchair accessible. It may be from another direction but the stairs would not be an easy adventure for anyone in a manual chair and definitely not assessable for a power chair unless there is another entrance to the platform that I did not see. (I will update this entry if I find accessibility on my next stop.)
LINKS:
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-center-of-the-universe-tulsa-oklahoma