Tulsa Sites

“Stadiums and field houses became important additions for many school systems. In Oklahoma, competitive sports added quality of life for residents during the Great Depression. Small school districts were especially proud to receive an ‘indoor’ gym. High school stadiums such as Taft Stadium and Capitol Hill Stadium were built in Oklahoma City and Webster High School in Tulsa."

"The Daniel Webster High School is a two-story and basement structure which contains 15 classrooms, a library, 2 cafeterias, a lecture room, corrective gymnasium, girls' gymnasium, auditorium seating 400, domestic-science department, 2 manual training rooms, 3 laboratories, offices, swimming pool, dressing rooms. Another adjacent building houses shops, boys' gymnasium, and lockers. Both structures are fireproof. Exterior walls are brick with stone trim. Both buildings were completed in July 1938 at a construction cost of $662,855 and a project cost of $768,257." (Short and Brown) "Daniel Webster High School is a high school in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It is part of the Tulsa Public...

Both the CCC and the WPA developed Tulsa's Mohawk Park: "The National Park Service took over planning of structures in Mohawk Park from the City Park Department. The WPA workers built bridges, roads and shelters to blend in with the natural landscape. They also brought waterlines and restrooms into Mohawk for the first time."   (www.cityoftulsa.org) "Urban parks in Tulsa and Oklahoma also owed much to the CCC... One Tulsa camp turned miles of raw, often swampy land into Mohawk Park."   (Historical Atlas in Oklahoma)  

“WPA projects both directly and indirectly affected fish and wildlife. More than 300 fish hatcheries were built or enlarged nationwide. Creating fish hatcheries was important economically, as well as for sport fisherman….Some of the fish hatcheries established or improved by WPA were located in or near Cherokee, Durant, Lawton, Tishomingo, Krebs, Lake Overholser in Oklahoma City, and Mohawk Park in Tulsa. A fish hatchery is on the city lake at Holdenville in Hughes County, where the WPA built a caretaker cottage and office building. With few details of location given, fish hatcheries have been hard to locate 70 years later. At...

This WPA armory was constructed in 1940-1941. "The significance of the Tulsa Armory stems from its date  of construction and its enormous size, among other things. Tulsa was not among those scheduled for an armory in 1936, in part because the WPA supported other projects and in part because Tulsa was strongly Republican in politics and armory selection was controlled by Democratic officials in Oklahoma City. The clear need for job opportunities for Tulsa's unemployed and the willingness of Tulsa County to lease land at no cost to the state as a site for the armory cleared the way for the...

According to the Oklahoma Landmarks Inventory, Swan Park "is comprised of a lake, with the dam and sides and small rock islands created by WPA labor out of cut native sandstone." As the name suggests, the park is designed to provide a habitat for swans and other birds.

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) created a site within the Tulsa Fairgrounds called the Tulsa Fairgrounds Cafeteria, which was finished during 1938. Currently, the cafeteria still remains standing. It has expanded many times since it was first built. Geographically, the Tulsa Fairgrounds Cafeteria spans just under less than one acre. The architecture of the cafeteria is unique. It was built upon an Art Deco style, and its foundation was brick. It’s a one-story rectangular shaped building that was surrounded by a running bond. The construction of this cafeteria was built to better serve the needs of those who attended the...

The refectory building at the Tulsa Zoological Garden was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in 1935. It was one of many New Deal projects undertaken in Oklahoma that “aimed to improve America’s public lands and parks” and “help lift the country out of the Great Depression.” The former refectory building has gone through many uses at the zoo and has recently been refurbished to serve as a public event space. “Originally designed as a refectory (gathering place to eat) this structure has served many purposes in its 86-year history. Once as a zoo entrance and concession area it also became...

"Will Rogers High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma is a fine example of Public Works Administration (PWA) Art Deco architecture. PWA was established under U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt to boost public building programs during the 1930s depression. Architects Joseph R. Koberling jr, Leon B. Senter and A.M. Atkinson collaborated to design the Will Rogers High School which was opened in 1939. The school consists of a two story brick building with two large square towers marking the entrances. There is a large amount of detailed decoration on the building facade. Under the classroom windows there are blue-grey panels with intricate decoration. Above the windows...

The WPA did extensive work in creating both the park's rock and rose gardens. According to the Oklahoma Landmarks Inventory Nomination, the "rock gardens in Woodward Park were laid initially by WPA laborers, although there is some evidence that the work was begun somewhat earlier by CWA workers."   (https://www.okhistory.org) "Constructed by the WPA using hand labor and teams of horses and a part of Woodward Park and the Tulsa Garden Center, the Municipal Rose Garden was inaugurated in 1934 and is a continuing project of Tulsa Parks and the Tulsa Garden Club. The first roses for the garden were planted in 1935."  ...