About Gold Dome
In 1958, Citizens State Bank opened inside a building that looked less like a financial institution than a golden spacecraft resting beside Route 66.
The Gold Dome is a geodesic structure assembled from 625 individual panels. Oklahoma tourism and historic-preservation sources describe it as the fifth geodesic dome constructed in the world, built during a period when the geometry popularized by Buckminster Fuller represented an aggressively futuristic approach to architecture.
The dome’s metallic surface and low circular form still look startling among conventional commercial buildings along Northwest 23rd Street. Over the decades, the structure has housed several uses beyond banking, including offices, cultural space, a gallery, and restaurant operations, while preservation efforts repeatedly emphasized the importance of keeping the landmark intact.
Current occupancy and interior access can change, so visitors should treat the property as private unless a business or authorized event specifically invites entry. The exterior alone earns the stop. Oklahoma City managed to make a mid-century bank look like something that should have arrived from orbit.