• Community Hall - Purcell OK
    “The Purcell Community Hall is a single story rectangular building (51’ X 104’) and is constructed of dark red native sandstone laid in a cob web pattern.  The masonry is splendid…On the front a limestone frieze and water table line provide decorative relief, as does the segmental arch entryway… Reminiscent of a National Guard Armory, it has a style unlike any other civic center constructed by the WPA in Oklahoma...That it was constructed early in the life of the WPA program, when the skills of workers still lacked refinement, makes the structure even more unique...The Community Hall is notable because it...
  • Post Office - Purcell OK
    The historic post office in Purcell, Oklahoma was constructed with federal Treasury Department funds. The building, which houses New Deal artwork inside, was completed in 1939 and is still in use today.
  • Post Office Mural - Purcell OK
    This dramatic New Deal mural was painted by Fred Conway in 1940. It was one of the winners of the Treasury Section's 48-State Competition Post Office Murals. Interestingly, this mural was initially slated to go into the Jackson, MO PO, but the Jackson townspeople wanted a more modern representation for their PO and this was then sent to Purcell.  The artist Fred Conway is from St. Louis.
  • Purcell City Hall - Purcell OK
    "A mix of one and two stories, the Purcell City Hall is rectangular (30' x 121') and is constructed of buff brick laid with a running bond. The roof is flat with parapets capped with cut limestone... A limestone crest and a brick frieze above end and side entries, and doorways with sculpted limestone jambs and lintels framed by a stepped facade lend the building an art deco architectural style... Although the WPA contributed toward the completion of this building, the project was authorized and virtually completed by the FERA, the predecessor of the WPA."   (Oklahoma Historic Preservation Survey)
  • Red Hill Park Picnic Pavilion (demolished) - Purcell OK
    The Works Progress Administration built the Red Hill Park Picnic Pavilion in Purcell, Oklahoma. However, the facility is no longer extant. According to the Oklahoma Landmarks Inventory, "The Red Hill Park Pavilion is significant because it is the only intact structure remaining of a remarkable recreational facility created by the WPA." Contributor Note: "The picnic pavilion once stood atop this hill overlooking the Sharpe Memorial Park with its rodeo arena and grandstands. The pavilion once had two native sandstone pyramid supports on either side of the picnic area. A wood-shingled gable roof covered the area between the pillars (see B&W photo from Oklahoma Landmarks...
  • Sharpe Memorial Park Arena - Purcell OK
    The Works Progress Administration built the Sharpe Memorial Park Arena in Purcell OK. Contributor note: "The building of these grandstands showed the openness the WPA had to building items which were of particular interest to the local community - hence a rodeo arena. The grandstands are constructed of poured concrete and are located at the north end of 2nd Street, north of Van Buren. They run north-south with a large area to the east. During our visit in the fall of 2018, dirt work was underway. This area appears to have previously been a baseball field. (Two baseball fields have now been built to...
  • WPA Steps - Purcell OK
    "Besides the wonderful old WPA-constructed buildings throughout the country, WPA labor was used to construct parks, walls, bridges. parks and numerous other items. During our travels, we often come across sidewalks, even in residential parts of town, that are stamped with the WPA shield. In downtown Purcell, with our eyes focused on the Statue of Liberty sculpture in front of an old bank, we looked down in order to walk up the four concrete steps leading from the street level to the sidewalk...and lo and behold, we found that they were constructed in 1940 by the WPA."   (https://www.waymarking.com)