SHPO Presents 2018 Awards
View photos from the 2018 awards banquet.
The Oklahoma Historical Society’s State Historic Preservation Office annually awards its Citation of Merit for the preservation of Oklahoma’s heritage through restoration, rehabilitation, research, planning, public programming, and other activities. The 2018 citations were presented for projects from Blair to Tulsa and many points in between. The recipients included:
1. Ron Frantz, Randy McFarlin, Kandy Steeples, and The University of Oklahoma’s fall 2016 historic preservation planning and historic buildings of Oklahoma class
The Frank House is a combination of three favorite Oklahoma subjects: Frankoma Pottery, Route 66, and architect Bruce Goff. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the 1955 house was designed by world-famous architect Bruce Goff for John and Grace Lee Frank, founders of Frankoma Pottery, once a Route 66 landmark business. The house design included many bricks and tiles hand-glazed by the Frank Family in their pottery facility. Fourteen students completed a report that focused on the preservation issues ranging from landscaping elements to exterior materials to interior issues. The report created will guide the current owners in prioritizing preservation projects for the Frank House.
2. Berryhill Housing Partners, LP; Preservation and Design Studio, PLLC; and Wallace Architects, LLC
The 45,244 square foot Berryhill Building provides twenty-eight affordable housing units to seniors in downtown Sapulpa thanks to Berryhill Housing Partners of Stilwell, Kansas. Constructed in 1909, this five-story masonry building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1999. Originally constructed as an office building, over the years it housed one of Sapulpa’s most prominent banks on the first floors and corporate headquarters for many of the regional oil companies that operated in the nearby Glenn Pool oil fields. This rehabilitation was the building’s second certified rehabilitation, the first having been for affordable housing in 2001. Major rehabilitation work for this second certified rehabilitation included window repair and replacement, updating mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems, and updating interior finishes and features.
3. Lawrence and Gene LeVick
Lawrence and Gene LeVick were well known avocational archaeologists in Oklahoma. They began their enthusiasm for archeology in the 1950s when the documentation of archaeological sites and artifacts was not common practice in Oklahoma. This was a time when it was common practice to dig up archaeological sites just to obtain the artifacts and not record them. The LeVicks diligently documented sites in southwestern Oklahoma. A majority of the time, their records were the only documentation of these archaeological sites in the state. They monitored sites on Bureau of Reclamation property in the W. C. Austin Project (Altus Lake) and notified the proper personnel when human remains were located. They contributed information to Oklahoma’s archaeological record by recording archaeological sites, collecting artifacts, and respectfully excavating burial remains that may have otherwise washed away and destroyed information. The LeVicks took archaeological preservation seriously and were a great asset to the archaeological community.
4. Parkside Optical - Dr. Brad Fielding
The Parkside Osteopathic Hospital opened in 1950 as the first Osteopathic Hospital in Oklahoma County. Partners Dr. Wayne Roberts and Dr. Ivan Berrey contracted with Oklahoma City architects Noftsger & Lawrence to design and construct their “dream hospital” at 318 South Littler. Parkside Osteopathic Hospital is an iconic example of the mid-century modern style of architecture, as well as a state-of-the-art medical facility that served the Edmond community until 2000 when Dr. Roberts retired and closed his practice. The building remained vacant, used occasionally for forensic training exercises, until 2015 when Dr. Brad Fielding renovated the building and reopened it as Parkside Optical Clinic. Today, visitors to Parkside Optical encounter the same mid-century façade and enter a reception area that includes the same terrazzo floors and amoeba-shaped ceiling with recessed lighting that greeted Parkside Osteopathic patients for the last half of the twentieth century.
5. Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) and Mead & Hunt, Inc.
ODOT and its consultant Mead & Hunt prepared public outreach products regarding bridges and road-related resources constructed under New Deal programs in Oklahoma. During the Great Depression, struggling Oklahomans found relief in the employment and infrastructure provided by New Deal agencies, including lasting bridges and roads. ODOT and Mead & Hunt first completed a public context on Oklahoma bridge and road building in the Depression-era with a focus on federal relief programs. The context is a visually engaging publication titled A New Deal for Oklahoma: Bridge and Road Building in the Depression Era. The booklet is filled with photographs, maps, and other graphics to supplement written narrative. The second product is an interactive Google Earth layer that maps all Oklahoma bridges and parks with confirmed New Deal associations. Each bridge has a clickable link to a form with more information on the resource. Both products are available on ODOT’s website.
6. Page Woodson Development, LLC; Ray, Ellis & LaBrie Consulting; Butzer Architects and Urbanism; and Smith Dalia Architects, LLC
One of the most impressive and impactful projects certified in 2017 is the (Old) Douglass High School located at 600 North High Street in Oklahoma City. Originally constructed as Lowell Elementary School, the building served white students until 1933, when it was designated a segregated school for African-Americans. It was the first and only segregated high school for African Americans in this area of Oklahoma City. The name changed again to Page Woodson, and then it became a community center in 1975. The school then closed in 1993. After standing vacant for over twenty years, this 95,000-square foot school building was individually listed in the National Register of Historic. Thanks to Ronald Bradshaw and Page Woodson Development, LLC, the school now provides sixty affordable housing units to residents near the OU Medical Research Campus, as well as an auditorium and venue for community and public events. Major rehabilitation work includes masonry cleaning and repair, replacement of non-historic windows to match historic configuration, and restoration of the auditorium.
7. City of Altus; Ron Frantz; Hope Mander; and The University of Oklahoma’s Spring 2017 Class of Environmental Design Capstone
Originally constructed in 1910 and expanded in 1937, the Altus City Reservoir served as the City’s drinking water supply. Having never been dredged, sediment accumulated, reducing the storage volume. City leaders now desire to improve the reservoir and develop an adjacent sixty-three acres into a mixed-use park for recreation. The students reviewed historic documents of the original construction, toured the site, met with local leaders, visited the Museum of the Western Prairie, and studied private-sector proposals. Not only were the students’ recommendations based on regional materials and design vernacular, but they also drew ideas from similar city parks from throughout Oklahoma. The proposals were sensitive to the mountain view to the east of the reservoir as well as the two-mile shoreline of hand-laid, vertically-stacked local Creta Stone. Currently, Altus leaders continue to move the project to the next step of implementation.
8. Will Rogers Housing Partners, LP; Preservation and Design Studio, PLLC; and Wallace Architects, LLC
Will Rogers Housing Partners, LP rehabilitated the Will Rogers Hotel at 524 West Will Rogers Blvd as 38 affordable units in downtown Claremore. Constructed in 1929, this six-story, 64,300 square foot building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1994. This rehabilitation was the building’s second certified rehabilitation, the first having been for affordable housing in 1998. Major rehabilitation work for the second certified rehabilitation included window repair and replacement, restoration of the interior lobby, updating mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems, and updating interior finishes and features.
9. Oklahoma Department of Transportation and Mead & Hunt, Inc.
ODOT and consultant Mead & Hunt prepared a publication titled Bridging the Mighty Red: Red River Crossings Between Oklahoma and Texas. The visually appealing report provides the public with an engaging historical overview of the dominant forms of transportation and river crossings through time. The Red River has been a nexus of settlement, trade, and transportation through generations of American Indian inhabitants, Spanish and French explorers, early American settlers, cattle drivers, farmers, railroad engineers, and motorists. Each of these groups confronted the question of how to cross the waterway. As time and technology evolved, different methods emerged: natural fords helped individuals to wade or ride across, ferries carried travelers from shore to shore, and railroad and vehicular bridges shuttled people and goods in droves over the “Mighty Red.”
10. Midtown – 1101 Broadway, LLC; Preservation and Design Studio, PLLC; and Fitzsimmons Architects
The Buick Motor Company Building is prominently located on the corner of North Broadway Avenue and North West 10th Street in the Automobile Alley Historic District, adjacent to downtown Oklahoma City. Constructed in 1927, the four-story reinforced concrete building with Tapestry brick and cast stone parapet, multi-pane industrial windows, and surviving elements of the showroom on the ground floor was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1996. The district is significant as Oklahoma City’s automobile retailing center in the first half of the twentieth century and because of its intact concentration of buildings exhibiting both Commercial and Classical Revival styles. The Buick Motor Company Building now provides 59,500 square feet of restaurant and office space in a bustling area of Oklahoma City. Major rehabilitation work included masonry cleaning and repointing, rehabilitation of the industrial windows, retention of the intact ground-floor showroom, and restoration of the rooftop sign.
11. Pryor Public Schools and The Stacy Group
Pryor Schools chose to rehabilitate a 1953 elementary school and relocate the administration offices in lieu of tearing down the structure in a depressed residential area of Pryor. The building was closed as an elementary school in the spring of 2011 and used as an alternative school for four to five years. The school building maintains the original floor plan and 1962 additions; however, the use had changed dramatically. The cafeteria/stage area is now a state of the art multi-use boardroom/meeting room. The kitchen now is a large employee kitchen and break room. Classrooms are now offices, a large computer lab, computer classroom, and robotics lab. Not only did this rehabilitation prevent building material from going to a landfill, but it revitalized and added energy to an older, stagnate neighborhood. The building lives on to tell its history and honor those who set the foundation for education in Pryor.
12. City of Edmond Public Works
In 2015 the City of Edmond approved a three-phase restoration and updating project of the 1936 Works Progress Administration Old Edmond Armory, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991 and home to the Edmond Historical Society & Museum. Funding was provided through the Capital Improvements budget. Phase I began in November 2016 and was completed in March of 2017. This phase addressed the integrity of the building due to water leakage issues in the exterior walls and basement through waterproofing and French drain, restored the original windows in the main gallery by removing the lead-based paint, replaced the sump pumps in the basement and cleaned and repointed the stone and mortar on the exterior of the building. Herb Blomquist, Director of Public Works for the City of Edmond and Randy Drew, Project Coordinator provided leadership and expertise for maintaining the building, its history and making preservation a priority.
13. Rock Island Plow, LLC and Allford Hall Monaghan Morris
Built in 1909 by the Rock Island Railroad Corporation of Chicago, the Rock Island Plow Company Building is a four-story, 47,000 square feet red brick building typical of the late territorial industrial style of architecture common between 1900 and 1910. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. At the time of listing, it represented one of the largest intact first-generation structures in the Warehouse District of Oklahoma City. After standing vacant for decades, the Rock Island Plow, LLC rehabilitated the Rock Island Plow Company Building for commercial office and restaurant use. Major rehabilitation work included the masonry cleaning and repointing, replacement of historic windows beyond repair, and restoration of the roof-top water tower.
14. The University of Oklahoma and Bockus Payne Architecture
Hester Hall, the first dormitory built on The University of Oklahoma’s campus, was originally constructed in 1925. An extensive renovation of the entire interior and exterior began in 2013 to create space for the new home of the College of International Studies. Code requirements were implemented with the addition of two new stair towers to improve building circulation, enhance emergency egress, and provide additional entry points. An addition to the west façade houses a three-story grand entrance and the new front door to the College and houses a two-story lobby, elevator and open stair. The additions complement the original character of Hester Hall and OU’s campus while also considering life cycle costs.
15. Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department; GH2 Architects, LLC; and Axis Builders
The Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department made a significant contribution to the preservation of the Osage Hills Park Pavilion structure by undertaking this project. In 1935 Oklahoma Park officials and the National Park Service proposed seven park sites within Oklahoma, including Osage Hills. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) constructed the original park and structure. The CCC effort resulted in distinctive architecture and high-quality craftsmanship at the Pavilion, integrating heavy timber beam construction and locally quarried stone. The soil under the patio stones had eroded over time, causing them to slide into the creek below. The first step of the project included a site stabilization effort with soil retention to prevent further damage. The timber logs, beams, and columns were sounded to identify the rotted material, and the ends were recreated in shape and profile to match original. Cleaning and mortar repair of stone walls and fireplaces completed the project.
16. Red Brick Capital Management, LLC; Rosin Preservation, LLC; and Fritz Bailey Architecture Interiors Planning
Built in 1948, the 13,000 square foot, two-story, flat-roofed building at 18-20 South Lewis Avenue is sandwiched between the Swinney Hardware Company Building and the Circle Cinema Building in the Whittier Square Historic District in Tulsa. Whittier Square was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2012. Red Brick Capital Management rehabilitated the 13,000 square foot building to continue in its historic commercial use as retail and office space. Major rehabilitation work included cleaning and repairing exterior masonry, replacing historic windows beyond repair with matching windows, and replacing non-historic storefront systems with compatible storefront systems.
17. Belmont Investments and Paul Uttinger
Constructed in 1925, the Belmont Apartment Building is a 7,100 square-foot, three-story brick Art Deco building with a finished basement and flat roof that sits just west of the Riverview Historic District in Tulsa. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2015. This particular area of Tulsa, just three blocks southwest of Tulsa’s Original Townsite, was specifically zoned and designated for apartment development; the number of apartment houses increased dramatically from about 78 in 1919 to 333 in 1929. The Belmont is one of few surviving examples of an apartment building in its 1920s zoning district. Because of Ms. Anita Bryant of Belmont Investments, the Belmont Apartment Building remains a fine example of an upscale apartment building of its era. Ms. Bryant’s rehabilitation retains the original eight units with major work that included repair of 130 double-hung wood windows, exterior masonry cleaning and repointing, interior plaster repair, and updates to the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems.
18. Preservation Strategies, LLC and Spencer Preservation
Built circa 1920, the McGregor House was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2014 as an intact example of architect Bruce Goff’s early residential designs during his formative years in Tulsa. This 2,000 square foot house is also an excellent example of a Prairie-style home, distinguished by its tiered roof with wide box eaves, second-floor penthouse, full-width front porch and prairie-style fenestration, including six varying styles of windows. Mark Sanders’ meticulous rehabilitation of the property for lodging purposes included new wood windows that matched the deteriorated historic windows, cleaning and repair of exterior stucco, and repair of interior finishes and features.
19. Northeastern State University; GH2 Architects, LLC; and Turn Key Construction Management, Inc.
Northeastern State University (NSU) made a significant contribution to the preservation of Wilson Hall by undertaking this project. NSU was founded in 1846 as the Cherokee National Female Seminary. This link to the Cherokee Nation and Indian Territory make NSU the oldest higher learning institution in Oklahoma. Wilson Hall is an integral part of the university’s iconography, with its symmetry, classic proportions, multi-pane windows and decorative stone elements. The 48,000-square-foot structure was constructed in 1936 and served as the original women’s dormitory until 1974. Prior to the project, Wilson Hall was plagued with roof and wall leaks, basement water infiltration, and damaged/deteriorated exterior window units. These issues were causing significant damage to the structure. The rehabilitation included a total window replacement with historic profiles to match the original double-hung, multi-pane and diamond muntins. A roof replacement, masonry and mortar repair, basement waterproofing and gutter/downspout replacement were also completed.
20. Endeavor Holdings, LLC and Selser Schaefer Architects
Constructed in 1939 and modified in 1965, Swinney Hardware Company Building sits prominently on the corner of South Lewis Avenue and East First Street in Tulsa. The one-story, red brick building is a contributing resource in the Whittier Square Historic District, which was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2012. Endeavor Holdings, LLC rehabilitated the 15,800 square foot building to continue in its historic commercial use as office space for an event planning agency and for a medical equipment sales and consultation company. Major rehabilitation work includes exterior masonry cleaning and repointing, replacing non-historic storefronts with systems more compatible with the character and appearance of the building, and uncovering historic skylights for interior daylighting.
21. Preservation Oklahoma, Inc; Okie Mod Squad; American Planning Association, Oklahoma Chapter; Stockyards City Main Street; Urban Land Institute; Oklahoma Arts Council; Oklahoma City Foundation for Architecture; American Institute of Architects, Central Oklahoma Chapter; Downtown Oklahoma City Partnership; The City of Oklahoma City; Civic Center Music Hall; and Oklahoma Historical Society
We extend our appreciation to these organizations and agencies for their partnership in presenting Preservation Future Tense: Oklahoma’s 29th Annual Statewide Preservation Conference held June 7–9, 2017, in Oklahoma City. They made all arrangements for meeting and special event space, printed and mailed publicity pieces, provided catering services, made sure equipment was in place, and extended generous hospitality to all conference participants. The statewide conference would not be possible without such local support.
