Pawnee Bathhouse – Pawnee

Address:	Vicinity of Pawnee, Oklahoma	County:	Pawnee
Started:		Completed:	1939
Agencies:	FERA, WPA	NRHP:	September 2, 2003

Current Usage:

Still use as Swimming Pool/Bathhouse.

Description:

Adjacent to a man-made lake, this bathhouse is a two-story structure with four shower rooms. It is a rectangular (63′ x 20′) structure of cut, coarsed, and some rusticated native stone. The roof is gabled and has an intersecting center gable over the front entry, which is arched. The windows are located near the ceiling and contain white shutters. This bathhouse has a spectacular balcony with steps leading down to the pool, which was also constructed by the WPA. The pool is dry and is now covered with grass.
Construction of the bathhouse provided employment for destitute workers during a time of severe economic depression, while it infused wages of some 18,120 man-hours of labor into Pawnee’s economy. Architecturally, this bathhouse is unique in terms of type, style, materials, and especially workmanship. It also enabled recreational opportunities for the people of Pawnee and the surrounding area, which aided morale during the Depression.

VERBAL BOUNDARY DESCRIPTION: Go north of Pawnee on highway no. 18, 1 mile then west 1/4 mile on park road to the bathhouse site on a tract of land in the SW of the NE 1/4 of Sec. 30, T 22 N, R 5 E.

Placed on National Register of Historic Places  September 2, 2003.

Sources:

1. Oklahoma Landmarks Inventory Nomination
2. The Living New Deal
3. City of Pawnee, Website
4. Wikipedia Article
5. National Register of Historic Places
6. Pawnee Bath house attracts statewide after drought closure, Stillwater News Press, Aug 7, 2016.

Supported Documents:

1. WPA Properties Pawnee County – Pawnee Bathhouse
2. National Register of Historic Places Support Document
3. National Register of Historic Places Document

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