SHPO Presents 2011 Awards
The Oklahoma Historical Society's State Historic Preservation Office presented its 2011 Citations of Merit during an awards banquet in Guymon on June 9, a highlight of Wide Open for Preservation: Oklahoma's 23rd Annual Statewide Preservation Conference. The recipients have contributed to the preservation of Oklahoma's significant archeological and historic properties through research, public programming, restoration/rehabilitation, and other activities. The recipients included:
1. Atoka Pioneer Club Rehabilitation Project
In 1896, Czarina Conlan saw the need for a ladies literary club in the town of Atoka, and the Pioneer Club of Indian Territory was organized. Seeing a need outside the club membership, the club began to offer magazines and books to the public at a small annual fee thus making it Atoka's first lending library. In 1905, the organization became a Federated Women's Club and began construction of their clubhouse. In addition to the Club's literary pursuits, they used the building during World War I as a place for knitting and bandage making. It even served as the local teen town in the 1950s. But, over time, the building fell into disrepair. Then, in 2010, a group concerned about the condition of this National Register listed building, and fearing its loss, reorganized the club, raised funds, and restored the building's exterior.
2. Redlands Community College and Mass Architects, Inc. (El Reno)
The Darlington Chapel, located at Darlington Agency and listed in the National Register of Historic Places, has been rehabilitated to serve as a meeting and conference center for Redlands Community College. Funding for the project came, in part, from a special grant from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. Mass Architects was selected to plan the project work. The rehabilitation included installation of new doors and windows based on historic photographs, replacement of the roof deck, reinstallation of the metal roofing, and restoration of the metal dome. Extensive foundation work, masonry repair, and carpentry were necessary.
3. Public, Education & Government Access System TV (Enid)
Enid's Public, Education and Government Access System Television was recognized for its programming related to historic preservation in Northwest Oklahoma. From January through November 2010, PEGASYS TV aired ten fifteen-minute Talk Shows dedicated to historic preservation in Enid.
4. Daniel E. Wolever, Jr. (Enid)
Daniel E. Wolever, Jr., was recognized for his Rehabilitation of a historic house in Enid. He is the Enid Historic Preservation Commission's historian and lives in the Kenwood Historic District. But, his interest in preserving the community's heritage extends beyond service on the commission. In October 2008, he purchased the 1906 Queen Anne style house at 1217 W. Broadway, in Enid's Waverley Historic District. The fire-damaged house had been vacant for years, and there had been concern that it might have to be demolished. However, on June 27, 2010, Mr. Wolever's two-year rehabilitation project was showcased in Waverley's Parlor Tour of Historic Homes.
5. City of Fairview, Oklahoma
The City of Fairview rehabilitated the Fairview Municipal Building, constructed by the WPA in 1939. Located at 206 East Broadway, the building now serves as the Fairview Conference Center. The City utilized a 1 percent sales tax to finance the project. Rehabilitation work included repairing plaster, painting, removing bricks from the window openings, and installing sensitive replacement windows, in addition to interior work. The building is now used for conferences, meetings, weddings, proms, and reunions.
6. Guthrie First United Methodist Church
Guthrie's First United Methodist Church was founded on April 22, 1889. A building to serve the capital city was needed, and the impressive building was dedicated in 1910. But, three months later, the state church offices moved to Oklahoma City, and for decades the congregation used its meager resources to maintain and preserve the church. Then, in 2008, the congregation realized the need to plan for the church's preservation. With funding from the National Trust for Historic Preservation and Preservation Oklahoma, Inc. and private donations from members, an architectural firm was retained to develop a Historic Structures Report, which was completed in December 2009. With the HSR as a basis, a preservation plan was prepared for the building, and a capital campaign was completed in October 2010, generating $361,500. Rehabilitation work is slated to begin in spring 2011.
7. Friends of Peter Conser Historical Site Society and Mike Kertok (Hodgen)
Located near Hodgen, Le Flore County, the Peter Conser House is owned by the Oklahoma Historical Society and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. As with many of its programs, OHS relies on partnerships to protect the historic properties it owns. The Friends group organized in 2005, and one of their goals was to help restore the Conser Barn. At least one foundation timber and several floorboards needed replacement. The OHS staff explained the need for the services of an architect to help plan the restoration project. So, the Friends group applied for and received a matching grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation to retain these services, and Mike Kertok was selected to do the work. Next, the Friends group applied for and received funding from the Oklahoma Centennial Commission to carry out the restoration work, which was completed in 2007.
8. Citizens of Pittsburg County, Pittsburg County Commissioners, Pittsburg County Progress Committee, Architects in Partnership, and Pittsburg County Economic Development Authority Oversight Committee
The recipients have carried out a successful $10 million rehabilitation of the National Register-listed Pittsburg County Courthouse. The building was constructed in 1905 as the Busby Hotel. After it was almost destroyed by fire, the architectural firm of Layton, Hicks and Forsyth developed the plans for the building's conversion to serve as the county courthouse in 1926. By 2004 the courthouse was overcrowded and facing serious maintenance problems. The Pittsburg County Progress Committee, comprised of the County Commissioners, worked with Architects in Partnership to develop a plan for the courthouse's rehabilitation and for its financing. The rehabilitated, historic courthouse reopened during a special ceremony on September 17, 2010.
9. Muskogee's Soulful Story
Muskogee's Soulful Storytelling Evening was held on February 4, 2010 at the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame, and it was the inaugural event in the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department initiative to celebrate Oklahoma's unique African American history and heritage. Muskogee's Story focused on the life of U.S. Deputy Marshal Bass Reeves and featured professional storyteller Dwe Williams. In the rich storytelling tradition of African American culture, Ms. Williams and her troupe Rhythmically Speaking used humor and song to celebrate the life of one of the greatest law enforcement officers to ever serve in Indian Territory and on the Muskogee Police force. The evening also included music by jazz saxophonist Jermaine Mondaine and a soul food meal prepared by the award-winning Cassandra Gaines.
10. Oklahoma Anthropological Society and Oklahoma Archeological Survey (Norman)
The Society and the Survey were recognized for their invaluable assistance to the Oklahoma Historical Society in the study of Historic Fort Gibson, a National Historic Landmark. The Society is a volunteer organization of avocational archeologists, and the Survey is the State agency charged with the identification and protection of Oklahoma's archeological resources. From 2006-2009, the Survey assisted OHS in the study of archeological resources at the Fort Gibson Historic Site with manpower, equipment, and expertise, and Dr. Leland Bement of the Survey directed the work. The Society's volunteers were critical to the success of the 2008-2009 excavations at the site to locate the original stockade.
11. Donald G. Wyckoff (Norman)
Dr. Don Wyckoff has significantly influenced the study of Oklahoma's archeology for five decades. He moved to Oklahoma from Kansas via New Mexico, and received his B.A. and M.A. in anthropology from the University of Oklahoma. Wyckoff received his Ph.D. from Washington State University based on his dissertation entitled Caddoan Adaptive Strategies in the Arkansas Basin, Eastern Oklahoma. Currently serving as the David Ross Boyd Professor of Anthropology in the Department of Anthropology, and Curator of Archaeology at the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, he served as the Chief Archeologist for the Oklahoma River Basin Survey Project, the State Archeologist, and the Director of the Oklahoma Archeological Survey. He will retire on June 30.
12. Mason Realty Investors and Hornbeek Blatt Architects (Oklahoma City)
The Gaston Cadillac Building, located at 1007 North Broadway in Oklahoma City's National Register listed Automobile Alley Historic District, was approved as a certified rehabilitation for the federal and state preservation tax credits in September 2010. The rehabilitation underwent several years of planning that included a thorough structural analysis by two different teams of consultants. After the deteriorated foundation and superstructure were extensively reconstructed, the interior of the 6,400 square foot building was rehabilitated for commercial retail use. The rooftop was converted to a lunchtime terrace for employees of the adjoining building at 1015 North Broadway, also a certified rehabilitation. The two buildings today form part of the north boundary for Automobile Alley, one of Oklahoma City's most vibrant commercial areas.
13. OETA-TV (Oklahoma City/Tulsa)
The SHPO presented its Citation of Merit to OETA-TV for the Oklahoma News Report's Preserving History segment. These in-depth stories have featured Claremore's Belvedere Mansion, El Reno's Fogg House, the Pawnee Bill Mansion, and Ponca City's Marland Mansion. Recently, the segment focused on the listing of several historic districts in downtown Tulsa on the National Register of Historic Places and explained how the designation can stimulate rehabilitation in these areas. The two segments about the rehabilitation of downtown Sapulpa's Wells Building for the federal and state tax credits further demonstrated preservation's role in community revitalization efforts across the state.
14. Pawnee Business Council, Barrett L. Williamson Architects, Inc., and Builders Unlimited, Inc.
The Pawnee Business Council, Barrett L. Williamson Architects, Inc., and Builders Unlimited, Inc. were recognized for rehabilitation of three buildings in the Pawnee Agency and Boarding School Historic District, which is listed in the National Register. Two of the buildings now serve the new Pawnee Nation College. The former staff quarters was converted to offices and a conference facility, and the historic dining hall was adapted for use as classrooms. The third building, the Pawnee Indian Clinic, now serves as the tribe's community health center.
15. Cherokee Nation, Saline Preservation Association, and Fritz-Baily Architects
The Cherokee Nation and the Saline Preservation Association partnered in the Saline Courthouse Stabilization and Springhouse Restoration projects, and Fritz Baily Architects designed the project work. The Saline District Courthouse was built in 1884, and is the only survivor of the nine rural Cherokee courthouses. Its stabilization involved foundation repair, replacement of deteriorated wood siding, exterior painting, reconstruction of the porch, and restoration of the chimney and fireplace. The springhouse was painstakingly disassembled stone by stone. The wooden roof was moved by crane to a holding location and then refitted to the restored limestone building. The Limestone wall that surrounded the front of the springhouse and a low water dam were restored.
16. Stacey Bayles and Kelly Bayles (Tulsa)
Stacey and Kelly Bayles received the award for their collective efforts to preserve the history of the Eastern Oklahoma Tuberculosis Sanatorium. Stacey diligently worked to collect the history of the facility including interviews with staff, photographic documentation and letters from patients, while Kelly developed and maintains a website about the facility with history and photographs. Based on their efforts, the SHPO prepared a National Register of Historic Places nomination for the property.
17. Andrew Slaucitajs (Tulsa)
Andy Slauscitjas is a professional videographer and an avocational archeologist. As a member of the Oklahoma Anthropological Society, he has participated in several projects to document and preserve archeological sites. He produces a video record of site excavations while he also turns earth with a trowel. One video is entitled "A View From Jake Bluff". It tells the story of the excavation of a prehistoric Clovis culture bison kill site in northwest Oklahoma. The second video is entitled "Finding Fort Gibson," and it chronicles the stockade archeology project at the Fort Gibson Historic Site.
18-26.Guymon joined the Oklahoma Main Street Program in 2005, and several of the community leaders and property owners responsible for achieving Main Street status and for establishing a preservation ethic in the community were recognized with the SHPO's Citation of Merit. The recipients included:
18. David Black
David Black is the second-generation owner of Panhandle Furniture, a business his father established in the "old Ideal grocery store building. In the 1960s the Black's installed a metal facade and awning on the building. When room for expansion was needed, the Blacks purchased the 1970s building next door. With the assistance of Oklahoma Main Street Architect Ron Frantz and the Main Street Guymon Façade Squad, Black removed the metal facade and awning and installed new canvas awnings. Additionally, new transom windows and new signage added to the new image for Panhandle Furniture.
19. Hal and Pat Clark
Built in the mid-1940s, the Nash Building is located on N. W Fourth Street, just a block off Guymon's Main Street. Through time, the building's facade was modified to obscure its character. Then, in 2007, Hal and Pat Clark purchased the building. An impressive transformation began with a complete exterior and interior rehabilitation. The original façade was uncovered; attractive office space was created on the second floor; and retail space established on the first floor.
20. Alyssa Curtis
Alyssa Curtis was one of the original supporters of Guymon's efforts to implement the Main Street principles, and she led the way with her purchase and rehabilitation of the vacant building at 116 N.W. 5th to house her successful business, Studio 116.
21. Guymon Furniture
William King is a supporter of Main Street Guymon and a member of the Guymon City council. In 1986, he and his partner purchased Guymon Furniture, a long-time downtown business, and they relocated it to the mall on the north side of Guymon in 1991. But, in 2006, they purchased the Langston Buick Building, built in the late 1940's and returned Guymon Furniture to the downtown commercial district. King carried out an extensive rehabilitation effort that included interior work and installation of new exterior signage and an awning.
22. Butch and Marsha Jarvis
In 1977, Butch and Marsha Jarvis purchased the c.a. 1937 building at 507 N. Main which housed the Pioneer Bar and Rays Barber Shop. They re-roofed the building and refurbished it's interior, restoring the original tin ceiling and retaining original pine paneling. In 2005, they removed the building's false facade. They recognized the importance of Guymon's recent designation as a Main Street town and helped lead the way to improve the appearance of downtown. They refurbished their storefront, and Butch joined the Façade Squad to assist other property owners.
23. Guymon Main Street
Even with a collapsed roof and a badly rotted floor, Dr. Hayes office, 116 N.E. Fifth Street, still had character. The building had been vacant for over 50 years but when you looked at it, you knew it held some of Guymon's history within its walls. So, it was appropriate that the building's rehabilitation would be one of Main Street Guymon's first projects and become its new office. The building was donated to Main Street Guymon, and the rehabilitation work began. Through the hard work of many individuals and an experienced contractor, Floyd Kalm, the landmark building again serves the community, and Dr. Hayes' desk occupies a prominent place in the organization's office.
24. David and Sharon Petty
David and Sharon Petty stepped up as some of the first property owners to remove a metal façade and awning that seemed to cover most of Guymon's downtown buildings. Through her work on the Design Committee for the newly formed Main Street Guymon, Sharon knew it was important to set an example by making the changes the Oklahoma Main Street staff suggested. With the help of the Guymon Facade Squad, the metal facade was removed, and the new design scheme was implemented. Interior work is next, and the Petty's know that the original tin ceiling remains above the dropped ceiling.
25. Ronda Purvines
Ronda Purvines purchased the building at 419 North Main in 1999 and moved her Merle Norman studio into it. Ronda saw that downtown Guymon needed a boost, and she quickly joined the group that formed to apply for Main Street status. In 2006, just one year after Guymon received the recognition, Ronda took the design advice from the state Main Street staff, and with the help of the local Façade Squad, removed the metal front from her building. Not only did Ronda work to bring Guymon into the Main Street program, she did what she asked other people to do, uncover the character of downtown Guymon.
26. Chris Urias
In May 2008, Chris Urias, a professional photographer, purchased 511 N Main, a vacant donut shop. His original plan for the building was simply for a shooting location. First, he repaired the roof, and then he decided to replace the carpet. Chris discovered a beautiful hardwood floor, and with the help of a crew that had broken down in town and needed work, he got rid of the carpet and removed the glue that covered the entire floor. Chris says that he was showing his father the floor and pointing out some of the places where there were still marks and scars despite the rehabilitation work, and his father told him that those give it character. Chris says "the first thing people mention is the beautiful floor when they walk in." The character of the building caused Chris to decide to utilize the entire building for exhibits and retail space in addition to his studio and office.
27. Local Cosponsors of Out Front in Preservation: Oklahoma's 22nd Annual Statewide Preservation Conference (Okmulgee)
Okmulgee Main Street, the City of Okmulgee Historic Preservation Commission, and the Creek Council House Museum were the local cosponsors for Out Front in Preservation: Oklahoma's 22nd Annual Statewide Preservation Conference held June 9-11, 2010, in historic downtown Okmulgee. The SHPO and its statewide partners, the Oklahoma Main Street Center and Preservation Oklahoma, Inc., relied on these local cosponsors to help plan and present the event. Without the dedication, hard work, and many individual contributions from such organizations and agencies, the annual conference would not be possible. They made all local arrangements, received registration, and made everyone feel welcome.
