National Register Record for OKLAHOMA CITY SCHOOLS ADMINISTRATION BUILDING

Historic Name: OKLAHOMA CITY SCHOOLS ADMINISTRATION BUILDING
Current Name: OPPORTUNITIES INDUSTRIALIZATION CENTER BUILDING
Address: 400 NORTH WALNUT AVENUE
City: OKLAHOMA CITY            County: OKLAHOMA
Section: 34           Township: 12N           Range: 3W          
Description of significance: THE OKLAHOMA CITY SCHOOLS ADMINISTRATION BUILDING IS ELIGIBLE FOR THE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES UNDER CRITERION A FOR EDUCATION. THE COMPLETION OF THE ADMINISTRATION BUILDING ESTABLISHED THE FIRST PERMANENT HOME FOR THE ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES OF THE OKLAHOMA CITY SCHOOL SYSTEM AND SERVED AS A PHYSICAL REMINDER THAT PUBLIC EDUCATION IN OKLAHOMA CITY HAD COME OF AGE. THE BUILDING IS ALSO ELIGIBLE UNDER CRITERION C, AS AN EXCELLENT EXAMPLE OF CLASSICAL REVIVAL ARCHITECTURE USED IN SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION IN THE EARLY 1900S. WITH ITS BRICK FAÇADE, LIMITED DESIGN ELEMENTS, PORTICO WITH RECESSED FRONT ENTRY, AND CAST STONE ACCENTS, IT IS TYPICAL OF SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION IN OKLAHOMA CITY DURING THE 1920S. THE BUILDING PORTRAYS A MATURING SCHOOL SYSTEM, ESTABLISHED LESS THAN THIRTY YEARS PRIOR IN THE NASCENT TOWN OF OKLAHOMA CITY. FURTHERMORE, THE ORIGINAL 1919 BUILDING WAS DESIGNED BY NOTED OKLAHOMA ARCHITECT, SOLOMON ANDREW LAYTON, WHO CURRENTLY HAS TWENTY-TWO BUILDINGS ON THE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES. THE 1928 ADDITION WAS DESIGNED BY ANOTHER NOTABLE OKLAHOMA ARCHITECT, GUY C. REID. LISTED IN NATIONAL REGISTER 09/19/2019.

Type: BUILDING
Historic Function: EDUCATION: SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION
Current Function: VACANT/NOT IN USE
Area of Significance 1: EDUCATION
Area of Significance 2: ARCHITECTURE
Architectural Style: CLASSICAL REVIVAL
Architect: 1919 - LAYTON AND SMITH (ARCHITECT), LISLE-DUNNING CONSTRUCTION (BUILDER); 1928 - GUY C. REID (ARCHITECT), HARMON AND MATTISON (BUILDER)
Year Built: 1919, 1928            Original Site: YES
Condition: GOOD
Restricted: None
Documentation Source: None
Date Prepared: FEBRUARY 2019