The Okmulgee Downtown Historic District is the original
downtown area of
Okmulgee, Oklahoma
Okmulgee is a city in, and the county seat of, Okmulgee County, Oklahoma. The name is from the Mvskoke word ''okimulgee,'' which means "boiling waters".Bamburg, Maxine"Okmulgee,"''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture''. Accessed June 16 ...
, roughly bounded by 4th Street, 8th Street, Okmulgee Avenue, and the
Frisco tracks.
[ It was added to the ]National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
on December 17, 1992.[ With ]
History
The district comprises 41 blocks, 9 of which were identified in a Phase I survey, and 32 in a Phase 2 survey, both conducted in 1990.[ The buildings range from the Creek National Capitol, built in 1878, to the five- to eight-story buildings constructed during the late 1910s and the 1920s of the oil boom.][ The predominant architectural style of the district is Early Commercial, but some other represented styles are ]Renaissance Revival
Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th century architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range o ...
, Richardsonian Romanesque, Italian Renaissance Revival
Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th century architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range o ...
, Second Renaissance Revival
Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th century architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range o ...
, Spanish Colonial Revival
The Spanish Colonial Revival Style ( es, Arquitectura neocolonial española) is an architectural stylistic movement arising in the early 20th century based on the Spanish Colonial architecture of the Spanish colonization of the Americas.
In the ...
, Neoclassical Revival
Neoclassical architecture is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy and France. It became one of the most prominent architectural styles in the Western world. The prevailing style ...
, Beaux Arts, Italianate
The Italianate style was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. Like Palladianism and Neoclassicism, the Italianate style drew its inspiration from the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian ...
, and Art Deco
Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...
.[ The district includes the predominantly African-American commercial area which built up on 5th & 6th Streets.
The Okmulgee Historic Preservation Commission was established in 1988 as part of that Historic Preservation Ordinance passed by the town's City Council to provide protection to the district.][
At least one subsequent architectural survey has identified other districts and structures in Okmulgee which might qualify for historical listing, but no action has been taken.]Italianate
The Italianate style was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. Like Palladianism and Neoclassicism, the Italianate style drew its inspiration from the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian ...
in style, separately NRHP-listed and a National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...
*McCulloch Building, 108-114 N. Grand
*Cook/Orpheum Theater, 210 W. 7th
*Bank of Commerce, 110 E. 6th St., Neoclassical Revival-style
*Christian Church, 211 W. 8th Street, Late Gothic Revival-style
*Commerce Building, 117-121 S. Grand, Beaux Arts-style
* Okmulgee County Courthouse, separately NRHP-listed in 1984
References
{{National Register of Historic Places
Geography of Okmulgee County, Oklahoma
National Historic Landmarks in Oklahoma
National Register of Historic Places in Okmulgee County, Oklahoma
Buildings and structures completed in 1878
Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Oklahoma