Editor's note: The Golden Driller is one of Tulsa's iconic landmark sculptures, but few know anything about the artist responsible for the work. Originally published in This Land, Vol. 5, Issue 22, November 15, 2014, Tony Beaulieu's story captures a portrait of the eccentric, obsessive Greek artist and professor responsible for the larger-than-life symbol of Tulsa's past.
When the Golden Driller was installed for the 1966 International Petroleum Exposition, Tulsa was “The Oil Capital of the World,” and the Golden Driller was Mid-Continental Supply Company’s gift to the city to commemorate the opening of the Tulsa Expo Center. It was a large undertaking in Tulsa history, part of the 354,000-square-foot event center, of which construction had been made possible through a $3.5 million bond passed by voters three years prior.
It took three cranes to erect the massive 76-foot, 43,500-pound plaster body of the Golden Driller. While the Driller has been guarding the entrance of Tulsa’s Expo Center (near 21st Street and Pittsburg Avenue) for decades, few Oklahomans are aware of the artist responsible for this roadside attraction. One of the few mentions of the Driller‘s designer—an eccentric, prolific artist from Greece named George “Grecco” Hondronastas—appeared in his obituary in 1979, but by then his most recognizable creation was falling into disrepair.
While serving during World War I, Hondronastas was bitten by a poisonous snake. He was fine, but the snake died. It was a story he loved to tell—he was proud of it, just like he was proud of becoming a U.S. citizen through his military service.
Being a U.S. citizen meant Hondronastas could pursue his artistic passion in the country he had called home for years. He attended the Art Institute of Chicago and later became a professor.
He came to Tulsa for the first time in 1953 to help design and build an early version of the Golden Driller—then known as The Roustabout. This version was constructed with papier-mâché and was considerably smaller than the later, permanent version. The Roustabout hung off the side of the oil derrick, rather than standing and resting his hand on it as the Golden Driller eventually would.
Hondronastas fell in love with the city of Tulsa and later moved his wife and son from Chicago to a duplex near Riverview Elementary School, just south of downtown.