Gans School Campus (Three Bldgs) – Gans

Address:	Vicinity of Gans, Oklahoma	County:	Sequoyah
Started:		Completed:	1938,1941
Agencies:	WPA	NHRP:

Current Usage:

Still used as school

Description:

The Gans School campus includes three WPA-built structures: a classroom building/gymnasium, a teacherage and a bus barn. The classroom building/gymnasium is an “E” shaped structure extending 250 feet along the front and 115 feet along the sides. It is constructed of uncut and randomly laid native stone. The roof is flat, except over the gym where it is arched, and has parapets capped with concrete. The entryways are recessed within arches as is a series of seven windows along the front of the structure. Elsewhere the windows are metal sash combined into triples with concrete sills. Vertical insets on either side of the front facade and pilasters add decorative relief to the excellent masonry.
The teacherage is rectangular shaped (40′ x 30′) and is constructed from uncut and uncoursed native stone with beaded mortar. It has a hipped roof with an intersecting gable. The main front entry on the southwest corner is accessed via a porch with stone rails beneath an overhand of the roof supported by cut stone post. Windows are singly hung metal sash, replacing original wooden sash windows, and rest on pre-formed concrete sills.
The bus barn is a rectangular shaped structure (50′ x 29′) and is constructed from uncut native stone with beaded mortar. It has a gable roof and originally for garage doors separated by cut stone piers. Three of the garage entries are enclosed with wood inserts, while a fourth contains a glass double door entry with side and transcom lights. Windows on the rear of the structure are singly placed. The alterations to the building are significant but do not impeach the integrity of the structure.
SIGNIFICANCE: 1938 and 1941; builder/architect for the school: Joe I Davis
The WPA construction work on the Gans campus constituted a remarkable community resource. Economically the projects between 1938 and 1941 infused wages for over 99,000 man hours back into the community, a sum that significantly softened the impact of the depression for mainstreet. Educationally the school provided exceptional facilities for the children of the community and facilitated the inauguration of a modern education. Its long range significance is apparent in that the structures are still used. The actual building on the Gans campus provided jobs for farmers and miners hard pressed to provide for the needs of their families. Architecturally the structures are notable for their remarkable workmanship, especially masonry that rises to an art form.

VERBAL BOUNDARY DESCRIPTION: On the northeast corner of Gans, the property begins 416 feet east of the northwest corner of Sec. 32, T 11 N, R 25 E, and goes 416 feet south, 624 feet east, 416 feet north, and 624 feet west.

Coordinates: 35.39032 -94.68909