Oklahoma County Courthouse
Encyclopedia
Oklahoma County Courthouse in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma
was designed by prominent Oklahoma architect Solomon Layton and partners George Forsyth and Jewel Hicks of the firm Layton & Forsyth
, and was built in 1937. It replaced the original courthouse
that was built with $100,000 in bonds issued and located at the intersection of California and Robinson at 520 West Main Street in the 1900s.
The building is located at 321 Park Avenue It cost $1.5 million paid for with a bond issue and money from the Public Works Administration
(PWA), "a federal program to create jobs in The Great Depression.
The 11-floor concrete
courthouse building is considered art deco
/ art moderne and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1992. Quotes are inscribed in the "sandy-brown Indiana limestone
" and a carved mural depicts "a scene of Oklahoma friendship" between a Native American
figure and a Mountain Man
.
The building is said to be "loosely abstracted from stepped-back Mayan temples" and includes a two-story lobby with terrazzo
floor with a compass design as well as abstracted wagon wheel chandeliers and third story overlooks. In 1967 a modern architecture
building was constructed next to the courthouse and connected by a walkway.
The courthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
on March 5, 1992.
Oklahoma County, Oklahoma
Oklahoma County is a county located in the central partof the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The population was 718,633 at the 2010 census. The county seat and principal city is Oklahoma City...
was designed by prominent Oklahoma architect Solomon Layton and partners George Forsyth and Jewel Hicks of the firm Layton & Forsyth
Layton & Forsyth
Layton & Forsyth was a prominent Oklahoma architectural firm that also practiced as partnership including Layton Hicks & Forsyth and Layton, Smith & Forsyth. Led by Oklahoma City architect Solomon Layton, partners included George Forsyth, S. Wemyss Smith, Jewell Hicks, and James W...
, and was built in 1937. It replaced the original courthouse
Courthouse
A courthouse is a building that is home to a local court of law and often the regional county government as well, although this is not the case in some larger cities. The term is common in North America. In most other English speaking countries, buildings which house courts of law are simply...
that was built with $100,000 in bonds issued and located at the intersection of California and Robinson at 520 West Main Street in the 1900s.
The building is located at 321 Park Avenue It cost $1.5 million paid for with a bond issue and money from the Public Works Administration
Public Works Administration
The Public Works Administration , part of the New Deal of 1933, was a large-scale public works construction agency in the United States headed by Secretary of the Interior Harold L. Ickes. It was created by the National Industrial Recovery Act in June 1933 in response to the Great Depression...
(PWA), "a federal program to create jobs in The Great Depression.
The 11-floor concrete
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
courthouse building is considered art deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
/ art moderne and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1992. Quotes are inscribed in the "sandy-brown Indiana limestone
Indiana Limestone
Indiana Limestone, also known as Bedford Limestone is a common regional term for Salem limestone, a geological formation primarily quarried in south central Indiana between Bloomington and Bedford....
" and a carved mural depicts "a scene of Oklahoma friendship" between a Native American
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
figure and a Mountain Man
Mountain man
Mountain men were trappers and explorers who roamed the North American Rocky Mountains from about 1810 through the 1880s where they were instrumental in opening up the various Emigrant Trails allowing Americans in the east to settle the new territories of the far west by organized wagon trains...
.
The building is said to be "loosely abstracted from stepped-back Mayan temples" and includes a two-story lobby with terrazzo
Terrazzo
Terrazzo is a composite material poured in place or precast, which is used for floor and wall treatments. It consists of marble, quartz, granite, glass or other suitable chips, sprinkled or unsprinkled, and poured with a binder that is cementitious, chemical or a combination of both...
floor with a compass design as well as abstracted wagon wheel chandeliers and third story overlooks. In 1967 a modern architecture
Modern architecture
Modern architecture is generally characterized by simplification of form and creation of ornament from the structure and theme of the building. It is a term applied to an overarching movement, with its exact definition and scope varying widely...
building was constructed next to the courthouse and connected by a walkway.
The courthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on March 5, 1992.