Historic Structures - Urban Exploration of Historic Properties

First National Bank and Trust Company Building, Oklahoma City Oklahoma

First National Bank and Trust Company Building, Oklahoma City Oklahoma

First National Bank and Trust was Oklahoma's largest bank for most of the 20^th Century. The building was designed by Weary and Alford from Chicago and constructed from 1930-1931. The Art Deco style is exemplified by a vertical emphasis. The intricate aluminum decorative elements on the building's interior and exterior are the only examples in Oklahoma City of Art Deco design from this era. The Great Banking Hall is a combination of the Classical Revival with Art Deco. The 1957 addition reflects the popular modern International Style, with its clean lines, orderly grid, and use of glass and metal. First National Bank and Trust had humble beginnings. Before the Unassigned Lands were opened, Oklahoma Station was a small settlement consisting of

Akron Soap Company - Pioneer Cereal, Akron Ohio

Akron Soap Company - Pioneer Cereal, Akron Ohio

The building was constructed in 1893 by Adam Duncan for his enterprise, The Akron Soap Company. The Akron Soap Company used the building as a manufacturing facility to make Grand and Electric Grip Soap used for laundry, as well as some toilet soaps. The third floor housed four large vats, with capacities ranging from 30,000 to 60,000 pounds. The products were sold throughout Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Pennsylvania, and New York. The facility produced about 1,125,000 pounds of soap per week. The Duncan family would be associated with several successful enterprises in Akron, and were among the leading entrepreneurs of the early 20^th century. They eventually expanded into feed binders, and meat processing with the Akron Abattoir Company. They also diversified into

First Congregational Church, Waynoka Oklahoma

First Congregational Church, Waynoka Oklahoma

The First Congregational Church in Waynoka, Oklahoma, was built in 1925-1926 The building is a subtle combination of the Mission and Late Gothic Revival styles. Designed by a Mr. Smith, the building was erected by the local construction firm of Swartz, Mincher and Company. Located in northwest Oklahoma, the town of Waynoka originated in the late 1880s as a station and cattle shipping point on the rail line being constructed by the Southern Kansas Railroad, a subsidiary of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Company (Santa Fe). Originally called Keystone, the name of the town was changed to Waynoka in April 1889. Located in the Cherokee Outlet, the rail station experienced limited growth until after the September 1893 land run,

Southern Ice and Cold Storage Company, Pittsburg Oklahoma

Southern Ice and Cold Storage Company, Pittsburg Oklahoma

The Southern Ice plant in Pittsburg, Oklahoma, was constructed in 1900 and remained in operation into the 1980s, producing 25 to 30 tons of ice daily. It supplied ice for all of Pittsburg County and the nearby towns of Ada and Muckogee. It was the only remaining ice plant in southeast Oklahoma that was in operation year round. Most of the equipment and methods remained in use until the factory closed. This one-story natural stone building was used for the production of ice for over 80 years. The light colored stone building has a string course of white stone about five feet from the roof. This is its only exterior decoration. The roof itself is flat. One large service door and

Edmond Ice Company, Edmond Oklahoma

Edmond Ice Company, Edmond Oklahoma

The Edmond Ice Company in Edmond, Oklahoma, was built in 1909. As the nearby university and the Edmond community grew, so did the ice company, expanding its offerings from exclusively ice, to ice and butter, and then ice cream, and ultimately soda as well. As with many other communities across Oklahoma, Edmond began as a small railroad town, a coal and watering stop on the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe (ATSF) in the 1880s. With the opening of the Unassigned Lands in 1889, the rail stop grew overnight, a trend that would only continue due to the location of the Territorial Normal School within the community in 1891. The Territorial Normal School formally opened in 1893, and though its name has

Dunbar School, Atoka Oklahoma

Dunbar School, Atoka Oklahoma

The Dunbar School in Atoka was built for African American students. Although an earlier separate school operated at Boggy Point in the western section of what would become Atoka County in the late nineteenth century, it was Dunbar School that served African American students in Atoka County for more than half a century. The facility originally served as both an elementary and secondary school. However, in 1958, the school transitioned to serving only the primary grades as secondary students were integrated into the regular school system. Today, the stretch of Oklahoma Highway 3 (OK-3) east of Atoka is primarily known as a speed trap, which passes through a relatively run-down section of town, a stretch of highway used to access communities

Dunbar Elementary School, Oklahoma City Oklahoma

Dunbar Elementary School, Oklahoma City Oklahoma

From 1891 thru the mid-1960s, children living within the boundaries of the Oklahoma City Public Schools system attended elementary thru secondary school in racially segregated facilities. During that time, black only and white only schools were built across the district to serve a growing student population. Over time, some of the white only schools became black only schools as populations shifted and needs changed. Dunbar Elementary was designed and built to serve the African American community by which it was surrounded. It is the only remaining black only elementary school in Oklahoma City. Oklahoma City experienced tremendous growth in the first decades of the twentieth century. The city's population doubled between 1890 and 1900, a trend that would continue and create

Cities Service Station #8, Tulsa Oklahoma

Cities Service Station #8, Tulsa Oklahoma

Cities Service Station No. 8 is a good example of the oblong box type of service station which proliferated across the nation from the 1930's through the 1950's. In 1926, the first station was constructed and in 1940 the separate two-bay garage was constructed. In 1950, the old station was demolished, and replaced by a new office and connection with the existing garage. This now unified office and garage with new sleek enameled panels, smooth lines, large glass windows, and green trim created a new modern identity for the Cities Service Company. The oblong box form of station was the result of a transition in gas station architecture from earlier house types. After World War II, the international style of architecture

Hotel Franklin, Mangum Oklahoma

Hotel Franklin, Mangum Oklahoma

The Hotel Franklin, designed by the prominent architectural firm of Layton Hicks & Forsyth, was the culmination of the efforts of community leaders to provide the city of Mangum with a first-class hotel. A two-year program of fundraising and lobbying led to the dedication of the five-story, brick hotel in September 1929, with Sergeant Alvin York, Medal of Honor winner and hero of the Great War, as the guest of honor. Mangum, the county seat of present-day Greer County, is located in the southwest of quadrant of Oklahoma. The town's history is inextricably linked with the long-time feud over Old Greer County, an area that was successively part of Texas, Indian Territory, Oklahoma Territory and finally the state of Oklahoma. The

Milk Bottle Grocery - Triangle Barbecue/Triangle Grocery & Market, Oklahoma City Oklahoma

Milk Bottle Grocery - Triangle Barbecue/Triangle Grocery & Market, Oklahoma City Oklahoma

The building was constructed in 1930. With the construction of the giant milk bottle on top of the building in about 1948, the building became known as the Milk Bottle Grocery. The Milk Bottle Grocery is a diminutive triangular building constructed on nearly every available square foot of a small triangular plot. The shape of the property is a result of the intersection of the Belle Isle street car line with the dominant orthogonal street pattern. The path of the street car line ran diagonal to the street grid. The location of the grocery was a stop on the line, and the street, Classen Boulevard, still has a diagonal jog in that immediate area. There are few triangular lot-shaped buildings in

Washington County Memorial Hospital, Bartlesville Oklahoma

Washington County Memorial Hospital, Bartlesville Oklahoma

The 1922 Washington County Memorial Hospital (WCMH) was funded by a city bond in 1920 as a tribute to the veterans who served in World War I. It was enlarged in 1941 and 1948 to serve the community and county's increasing demand for medical services. In 1952 WCMH medical services and the facility's assets were transferred to the private Jane Phillips Episcopal Medical Center. Jane Phillips Hospital leased the WCMH in 1969 for a period of 25 years at $25/year with a lease option to renew. Both hospitals retained their names, but WCMH ceased to be managed by the county and became managed by a private institution. The Washington County Memorial Hospital, however, served the county for thirty years as the

Triboro Hospital for Tuberculosis, Queens New York

Triboro Hospital for Tuberculosis, Queens New York

The Triboro Hospital for Tuberculosis, also known as the T Building, is an imposing nine-story brick and limestone building was designed in 1937 by the New York architectural firm Office of John Russell Pope and completed by its successor firm, Eggers and Higgins. The noted hospital architect Isadore Rosenfield oversaw the construction and is likely to have contributed to both the planning and detailing of the medical facilities. The T Building was significant for its role in the treatment of tuberculosis at a critical time in the history of the disease in New York. The hospital was built during a campaign of public tuberculosis hospital expansion led by pioneering New York City Commissioner of Health Dr. S.S. Goldwater under Mayor Fiorello

Saint Anthony Hospital, Milwaukee Wisconsin

Saint Anthony Hospital, Milwaukee Wisconsin

In 1966 the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception terminated their administration of Saint Anthony Hospital. This historical association was critical in the history of Saint Anthony and its mission as an integrated hospital; the Franciscan Sisters had successfully operated the hospital since its opening and, due to an inability to raise money for needed expansion or relocation, had planned to close the facility in 1966. The Archdiocese of Milwaukee arranged to lease the hospital, which continued in existence for another twenty years, although much of that was a long period of decline. Segregation within Medical Institutions and Hospital Staffing Historically, segregation limited the opportunities for medical training, as well as healthcare treatment options, for African Americans. In 1891, Dr. Daniel

Mercy Hospital, Nampa Idaho

Mercy Hospital, Nampa Idaho

Mercy Hospital in Nampa Idaho was owned and operated by Catholic religious Order, the Sisters of Mercy. It was built in 1919 For 48 years, between 1919 and 1967, the building continuously served the community of Nampa and the surrounding area as the only hospital in the vicinity. Mercy Hospital was the result of community efforts to bring a modern hospital to Nampa at a time when many towns of a similar size did not have a hospital. City leaders and social clubs, along with medical professionals and the general public, devoted more than ten years to the struggle to establish and maintain a hospital. The hospital was also important as a training facility for nurses, providing educational and employment opportunities

Glenn Dale Tuberculosis Hospital and Sanatorium, Glenn Dale Maryland

Glenn Dale Tuberculosis Hospital and Sanatorium, Glenn Dale Maryland

The Glenn Dale Tuberculosis Hospital and Sanatorium was constructed specifically to house and treat children and adults suffering from tuberculosis. The campus demonstrates the struggle of the District of Columbia to combat the public health threat caused by tuberculosis during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Glenn Dale Hospital, owned and operated by the District, provided free medical care to the victims of the disease. Glenn Dale's location, approximately fifteen miles outside the city, provided the remote setting and abundant fresh air that were considered ideal in the treatment of the disease, as the continued inclusion of the stricken in the District's general population without adequate care was viewed as a serious public health threat. Contemporary accounts credit the hospital

Former Central of Georgia Railroad Depot, Leesburg Georgia

Former Central of Georgia Railroad Depot, Leesburg Georgia

With the completion of a rail line between Americus and Albany in 1857, and the establishment of a post office, a settlement called Wooten's Station, so named to reflect the community's first postmaster, Henry P. Wooten, arose. With the relocation of the county courthouse to the growing settlement, the name was changed to Leesburg in 1874. Construction for the Leesburg Depot began c.1895. As was the custom at the time, railroad carpenters likely built the wooden depot. When first constructed, it provided the primary means of communication to the outside world and provided a way of travel to such faraway places as Washington, D.C. or New York City. The depot served as the core of the community for many years, housing

Gainesville-Midland Railroad Depot, Hoschton Georgia

Gainesville-Midland Railroad Depot, Hoschton Georgia

The Hoschton Depot is typical of the depots constructed along the Gainesville Midland Railroad line and throughout Georgia during the 19^th century. The design of the depot is typical for depots built in small towns in Georgia and it is very similar to other depots on the Gainesville, Jefferson and Southern Railroad line, including those in Talmo and Jefferson. The Talmo Depot is roughly the same size as the Hoschton Depot and includes the broad, hip roof, freight entrances, and a three-part division of interior space: freight room, passenger waiting rooms, ticket office. The only difference is a small bay window that projects on the track side of the Talmo Depot. The Jefferson Depot maintains the same basic form, materials, and

Edson, Moore and Company Building, Detroit Michigan

Edson, Moore and Company Building, Detroit Michigan

Edson, Moore & Company was a large-scale dry goods wholesale firm established in 1872 in Detroit. The firm was an outfit significant in its line of trade including fabrics, rugs, and ready-made clothing for men, women, and children. The Building at 1702 West Fort Street is an impressive landmark industrial building by noted Detroit architectural firm Smith, Hinchman & Grylls. The building is notable for its reinforced concrete frame engineering and its handsome street facade. In the twentieth century, the company's traveling salesmen served a broad area. The firm of Edson, Moore & Company existed for over one hundred years in Detroit and built a successful reputation while adapting to changes in the wholesaling industry. The area of Southeast Michigan now

Central of Georgia Railroad Depot, Hampton Georgia

Central of Georgia Railroad Depot, Hampton Georgia

The town of Hampton was the county's only rail connection, from 1846 until 1882. The present Hampton Depot had its origins in 1873 when the superintendent reported at the annual meeting of the president and directors of the Central Railroad and Banking Company that the depot at Hampton (late Bear Creek) is entirely too small and insecure, and ought to be replaced by a larger and more substantial one at the earliest day possible. He also announced that a cotton platform had recently been built next to the old wooden depot. The land for the new depot was purchased in 1876. It is not known when the plans were drawn, but in the superintendent's report of September 1^st, 1880, it was

Elberton Depot, Elberton Georgia

Elberton Depot, Elberton Georgia

Constructed in 1910, the Elberton Depot is a small-town depot built during the railroad boom in the early 20^th century in northeast Georgia. The building is important for its masonry exterior with Queen Anne detailing consisting of a low-hipped tile roof with cross gables, two brick chimneys, and wide bracketed eaves. The Elberton Depot is one of the few remaining relatively intact examples of this style found in historic depots in Georgia today. The depot served the long-distance transportation needs of the citizens of Elberton and Elbert County, providing routes between Atlanta, Savannah, and other Georgia towns in the early 20^th century. The depot served as a passenger center where people could purchase tickets and wait for trains. It was also

Book Title Abandoned America: The Age of Consequences (Jonglez photo books)

Abandoned America: The Age of Consequences (Jonglez photo books)

Book Title The Atlas of Abandoned Places: A Journey Through The World's Forgotten Wonders

The Atlas of Abandoned Places: A Journey Through The World's Forgotten Wonders

Book Title Abandoned Malls of America: Crumbling Commerce Left Behind

Abandoned Malls of America: Crumbling Commerce Left Behind

Book Title Abandoned Palaces (Abandoned Places)

Abandoned Palaces (Abandoned Places)

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