Captiol School – Guthrie – Oklahoma's New Deal

Address:	802 E. Vilas, Guthrie, OK 73044	County	Logan
Started	1935	Completed	1936
Agencies:	WPA	NRHP:	No

Current Usage:

Guthrie Public Schools Administration Offices

Description:

Accomplishments for Work Progress Administration July 1, 1935 to March 1, 1937 excerpt says, “There is a similar human interest story connected with an extensive school program in Guthrie. For 41 years, the old brick Capitol school, once the pride of Oklahoma’s territorial capital, had served the community. It needed thousands of dollars worth of repairs. Even then it would re-main more or less a firetrap. The Works Progress Administration razed the old building, salvaged what materials could be used successfully in the new structure and constructed a modern, one-story substitute. This new building contains eight class rooms, auditorium with stage and dressing rooms, cafeteria, library, offices, toilets and spacious corridors, a $44,119.36 project. It was just one of three similar Guthrie school projects. The old Banner school was razed and a new building containing ten class rooms, auditorium and other essential space being erected at a cost of $48,700.96. The old Lincoln school underwent a similar metamorphosis, the new building being practically a counterpart of the Capitol school building. The whole Guthrie school program amounted to more than $150,000, exclusive of the spacious athletic stadium which was sponsored by the city of Guthrie. This athletic stadium, with masonry bleachers on east and west sides of the field, represented an expenditure of nearly $45,000.”

Capitol School was built in 1935 as a neighborhood elementary school. 48 men were allocated for this project, along with $23,590 of WPA funds, plus $20, 529 from the city. This one-story school was designed with modern heating, lighting, and sewage systems. It included 10 class rooms, a principal’s office, library, cafeteria and restrooms. It was built at the same time as Banner and Page Elementary Schools, which were very similar in design and appearance. The Capitol School building is now used as the Guthrie Public Schools administrative offices. The building has a WPA marker installed by the front door.