OKLAHOMA CITY — Six historical buildings were recently added to the state’s National Register of Historic Places.
• The Ponca City Municipal Hangar, constructed between 1930 and 1932,
• The Holy City of the Wichitas Historic District, constructed between 1934 and 1936;
• The Oklahoma National Guard Armory, constructed in 1938;
• The State Highway Department Testing Laboratory, constructed in 1934;
• The Iroquois Apartments, constructed in 1928;
• Harmony School constructed in 1928.
The Ponca City Municipal Airport Hangar earned the spot for its significance in the areas of economics and military and symbolized the strong economic relationship between a burgeoning aviation sector and Oklahoma’s oil industry.
In 1941 the hangar included a key facet of British Flying Training School Number 6, overseen by Darr School of Aeronautics. Between 1941 and 1944, the school trained more than 1,000 British airmen and more than 100 American aviators for military service in World War II. In 1953 the hangar was made obsolete after the completion of an expanded runway system and the construction of a new terminal and administrative building.
The Holy City of the Wichitas Historic District in Comanche County was chosen for its significance associated with the work relief and public works programs of the New Deal in Oklahoma and its importance as a public recreational area. The district is an outstanding example of National Park Service Rustic architecture and landscape design as applied to a federal wildlife refuge.
The Oklahoma National Guard Armory located in Oklahoma City is listed for its role in military and economics as well as for its Streamline Moderne style. Commonly understood as a federal New Deal project, the armory is in fact a symbol of Governor Ernest Whitworth Marland’s “Little New Deal” and was financed solely by state funds. It supplied a valuable training site for members of the 45th Infantry Division and served as a public meeting space for Oklahomans.
The State Highway Department Testing Laboratory located in Oklahoma City is listed for its role in Politics and government and its Art Deco style.
The Iroquois Apartments building in Oklahoma City is on the registry for its role in Community Planning and Development and for its Tudor Revival style. The building is among 25 “brick box” apartment buildings constructed by various developers between 1910 and 1935.
Harmony School in Oklahoma City is listed for its role in Education and Ethnic Heritage as well as for its Classical Revival style. Located in a transitional neighborhood, it was one of the first elementary schools in Oklahoma City to be the subject of a challenge to the Oklahoma City Board of Education’s discriminatory transfer policies. The transfer policy helped white students by allowing them to transfer to a predominately white school outside of their district but denied African American students the same transfer options. Although that initial challenge proved to be unsuccessful, it helped set the stage for future legal actions that led to the desegregation of the entire public school system in Oklahoma City.