Oklahoma County Courthouse in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma was designed by prominent Oklahoma architect Solomon Layton and partners George Forsyth and Jewel HicksCarla Breeze, American Art Deco: Architecture and Regionalism (W. W. Norton & Company, 2003), , pp. 19, 113 (excerpts available at Google Books). of the firm Layton & Forsyth, and was built in 1937. It replaced the original courthouse that was built with $100,000 in bonds issued and located at the intersection of California and Robinson at 520 West Main Street in the 1900s.
The building is located at 321 Park Avenue."A Brief History of Oklahoma County Government." OklahomaCounty.org. Accessed 2009 September 17. It cost $1.5 million paid for with a bond issue and money from the Public Works Administration (PWA), "a federal program to create jobs in The Great Depression.
The 11-floor concrete courthouse building is considered art deco / art moderne and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992. Emporis Quotes are inscribed in the "sandy-brown Indiana limestone" and a carved mural depicts "a scene of Oklahoma friendship" between a Native American figure and a Mountain Man.John Parker The Oklahoma County Courthouse Oklahoma County website (Originally published in the June 2004 issue of Oklahoma City Downtown Monthly
The building is said to be "loosely abstracted from stepped-back Mayan temples" and includes a two-story lobby with terrazzo floor with a compass design as well as abstracted wagon wheel chandeliers and third story overlooks. In 1967 a modern architecture building was constructed next to the courthouse and connected by a walkway.
The courthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 5, 1992.
Rick Warren is the Court Clerk. Emporis
See also List of tallest buildings in Oklahoma City List of tallest buildings in Oklahoma
References
External links Photo of building Photo album (including original building)