| Address: | North Broad and North Oak Streets, Holdenville, Oklahoma | County: | Hughes |
| Started: | Completed: | 1941 | |
| Agencies: | WPA | NRHP: | No |
Current Usage:
Sports Stadium
Description:
Situated on the west edge of the football field, the Holdenville stadium is rectangular and measures 210 feet by 32 feet. The three exterior walls of the stadium are constructed of untooled and uncoursed native sandstone, while the 14 tiers of the stands are made of poured concrete. The front facade of the stadium is decorated with pilasters and a frieze, with the entry to the runway leading through the stadium to the stands being fashioned into a pointed arch. With concrete sills and lintels, windows are singly placed. Encompassing the stadium and field is a rectangular, seven foot high fence (415′ x 328′) constructed of native sandstone undressed and uncoursed. Every 20 feet along the fence a pilaster provides support and visual relief. The fence and the stadium are impressive for their quality of masonry. A press box placed atop the stadium does not impeach the architectural integrity of the structure.
SIGNIFICANCE: 1936-1941; architect/builder: unknown
As a WPA structure, the Holdenville Football Field and Stadium are unique in terms of scale and quality of workmanship. Masonry reaches to the level of an art form. The facility also suggests the different dimensions of the WPA work program and the agency’s interpretation of a “useful” public work. At a time when spirits and self-esteem were low, the football field and stadium offered a place where residents of the community could gather and cheer a winner. Since the 1930s Holdenville has always produced a winning football team. Architecturally the structure is significant within the community in terms of type, scale, style, materials and workmanship. Construction of the facility, moreover, permitted destitute laborers to have an income and learn masonry skills at a time when jobs in the private sector were non-existant.
VERBAL BOUNDARY DESCRIPTION: From the SE corner of Sec. 7, T 7 N, R 9 E, go 636 feet west for a point of beginning, and then go 416 feet north, 416 feet west, 416 feet south, and 416 feet east. The facility also is located in Stroup Park, Holdenville City original.
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