Address: 116 Gale Street, Seminole, OklahomaCounty:Seminole
Started: Completed: 1936
Agencies:WPANRHP:

Current Usage:

Demolished

Description:

The old Washington School Gymnasium is a single-story, rectangular (103′ x 66′) structure. It is constructed of untooled and uncoursed stone. The roof is arched with arched parapets on the ends of the building. The front entry is recessed and framed by pilasters, and a square arch. An additional wooden entry is located on the southwest side. All the casement windows except for the rear window are currently covered with green fiberglass insets. The integrity of the building has not been compromised.
The gymnasium at the old Washington School, a segregated black school, is unique to its setting because of its type, scale, materials, and workmanship. Most of those who worked on the project were black laborers. Construction of the gym provided jobs for many men who were on relief rolls because there were no jobs available in the private sector. The gymnasium also provided educational and recreational facilities for black youths and contributed to their sense of identity and self-esteem, qualities that would have been slow to develop had it not been for the WPA facility.

VERBAL BOUNDARY DESCRIPTION: A tract 10 feet north, east, south and west of the north, east, south and west walls of the structure centered upon the above referenced UTM, in Block 6 in the Southwest Addition /12 to Seminole original.

Sources:

  1. Oklahoma Landmarks Inventory Nomination

Supported Documents:

  1. WPA Properties Seminole County – Washington School

Photos: