| Address: | East Fifth and Roy Streets, Dewar, Oklahoma | County: | Okmulgee |
| Started: | Completed: | 1938, 1941 | |
| Agencies: | WPA | NRHP: | No |
Current Usage:
School
Description:
The Dewar School Campus contains two WPA buildings. The school of eight rooms is a single-story, rectangular (158′ x 52′) building constructed of brick. The masonry of the building is running bond. The roof is flat with parapets. There is a three-door entrance with pilasters that hint at an art deco style. The windows contain concrete sills and have partial wood inserts. A small addition is attached to the north side. These alterations do not impeach the architectural integrity of the building.
The gymnasium/auditorium is a rectangular (73′ x 81 ‘) structure constructed of coursed and rusticated native stone of buff color. The roof is arched in the center and flat on both sides. All parts have parapets. Pilasters are used at the entrance to give the structure a decorative flavor. The windows contain wood inserts that have been painted pink; the concrete sills are also painted pink. The alterations do not impeach the integrity of the building. This gymnasium is attached to Dewar’s first school building, which was not built by the WPA.
SIGNIFICANCE: 1937-1938 abd 1941; builder/architect: unknown; “JNO” O. Bradley (gym)
Construction of the buildings at Dewar enabled unskilled and unemployed laborers to work at a time when such opportunities were scarce. It gave them an income that prevented starvation and infused wages of some 126,000 man-hours of labor into Dewar’s economy. The project also created a new environment conducive to learning for children in and around Dewar. Architecturally, the school is unique because the use of brick as the building material rather than stone. The gym is unique in that the size and placement of windows and doors and pilaster strips display an art deco style. Both are important as WPA structures in terms of type, style, scale, workmanship, and especially materials.
Modern construction has replace the school, the gym has new siding and roof.
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I attended this school and miss the old buildings. Both of my grandfaters worked here as janitors. My parents graduated from here and so did my brother and I. My husband, his father and brother. Scott and I both had cousins, aunts and uncles to graduated too. I am currently a member on the school board