Abe Andrews Park – Norman

Description:

Originally called the City Park, it was renamed in 1956 to Abe Andrews Park. Constructed in 1890 but was considerably improved during the WPA, to include a beautiful native stone amphitheater, stone bathhouses, a drainage ditch, and two stone bridges over the ditch. The amphitheater, which is still used today, is a semi-circle, with three sections of twenty rows of seating. the seats are native stone benches with concrete caps, four stone walks serve as aisles for seating. There is a low stone wall bordering the amphitheater, with stone steps leading to the stage. The bathhouses were originally served as dressing rooms and showers for a wading pool, currently the west bathhouse has had the windows, doors and roof removed and serves as a walled picnic area, the east bathhouse houses the parks filtration system. The drainage ditch runs along the south side of the park which has a concrete bottom but stoned lined walls. 

The park was renamed in 1956 as J.A. “Abe” Andrews Park, after the man who worked for the city from 1926 and oversaw much of the work done on the park. The park was designated as the Norman City Park New Deal Resources Historic District and placed on the National Register in 2000.[1]

Included projects:

• Amphitheater
  • The amphitheater is the highlight of the park’s New Deal projects, located in the southwest corner of the park the amphitheater forms a half circle. Built of native stone with a compatible, rose colored, concrete cap in 1936-37. The parking lot next to the amphitheater is edged on the east side by native stones.
• Entrance Gates
  • Probably constructed by workers employed under the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) in 1934.
• Two Native stone bridges
• Concrete wading pool
  • The wading pool was removed several years ago.[2]
• Two native stone bathhouses
• a Native stone lined ditch

WPA APPROPRIATION: $43,732

WPA APPROPRIATION: $8,483 (Buildings)

Sources:

1. The Living New Deal
2. Keep Abe Andrews Park for future generations, Nov 4, 2007
3. Oklahoma Landmarks Inventory Nomination
4. Oklahoma Landmarks Inventory Database
5. Waymarking.com
6. “Leaning on a Legacy” – the WPA in Oklahoma, by Marjorie Barton.
7. City of Norman Website

Supported Documents:

1. National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form

Photos:

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