The Future of Washington School
Saving a Stillwater landmark
Community invited to talk about preserving Washington School
August 12, 2022
Stillwater News Press article by Michelle Charles
For some people in Stillwater the old building across from Southern Woods Park on 12th Avenue just looks like another dilapidated structure. Many don’t know what it is or understand its significance. But for others, the former Booker T. Washington School is both a reminder of inequality and a symbol of the excellence that can emerge from a community, even under adversity.
The brick building at 619 W. 12th Ave. that housed Booker T. Washington School served students from Stillwater’s Black community from its construction in the 1930s through the end of segregation. It has been vacant for decades.
Now Washington School represents a tantalizing possibility as people from the community and Oklahoma State University team up to see if a structure that’s a notable part of Stillwater’s history can be saved.
Washington School has been included on Preservation Oklahoma’s list of Most Endangered Places for 2022. According to the listing, Stillwater’s Washington School is one of only three remaining examples of the more than 50 Black schools that once existed across Oklahoma, and it’s the only one that could be purchased for preservation.
The building, once designated for public use, was allowed to pass into private ownership in 2007, putting it at risk of demolition for redevelopment.
“The fact that this history is still standing is a big deal,” Oklahoma State University Director of Public History Laura Arata said. “… Buildings a lot worse than this have been saved and gone on to become wonderful things.”
The public is invited to an informal community conversation at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Sheerar Auditorium, 702 S. Duncan St. to talk about Washington School and what might be done to save it.
Matthew Pierce, Program Coordinator for the Oklahoma Historical Society’s State Historic Preservation Office will be there to answer questions and provide information about possibilities for moving ahead with the preservation of Washington School.
This is just an initial discussion, Arata emphasized.
Arata, who has conducted research and written books about the history of African Americans in the West, said she personally became aware of Washington School a few years ago after moving into a house not too far down the street. As the COVID-19 pandemic shut down most things, she found herself walking past the old school every day.
“I had questions and I had time to do the research,” she said.
In March 2021, Arata led a group of engineers and public history students through Washington School to assess the building’s condition. She submitted an application that helped get the building on the list of Most Endangered Places, a designation meant to raise awareness of historic structures in need of preservation.
Others have also taken notice. The Ingressors, a Facebook group of photographers and videographers who document old and abandoned places featured Washington School in 2019. Abandoned Oklahoma, an online group dedicated to preserving Oklahoma’s past, also posted an in-depth feature about Washington School in May.
In spite of the attention, Washington school remains on the market and in danger.
In late 2011, a developer asked the Stillwater City Council to rezone the property from public use to office use, with plans to demolish the existing school building and build an office complex.
In 2012, the City Council agreed after the developer offered to donate bricks from the building and give $2,000 along with a space on the property to build a memorial to Washington School, but that project ultimately stalled.
Ironically, the chronic flooding that was assumed to have damaged the building beyond repair, has also saved it from redevelopment.
At least for now.
Arata said she’s gotten a lot of support and help from people so far in the process. She views that a testament to the community and what the school means.
“This has been such a heartwarming thing,” she said. “In working on it no one has ever said ‘no.’ … I guess, take it one step at a time and we’ll go from there, which has been how everything has gone with this building.”
City of Stillwater to acquire historic Black school property
December 5, 2022
Stillwater News Press article by Chris Peters
City Councilors unanimously voted Monday evening to approve the purchase of Stillwater’s historic Black school. The goal is to preserve the original building so community members can improve the property to be used for education, historical displays, sports recreation, events, and parking.
Originally built in 1908, Booker T. Washington School is one of three remaining Black schools in Oklahoma and the only one with the potential to be preserved, according to Preservation Oklahoma’s 2022 Most Endangered Places list.
According to Preservation Oklahoma, African America and Afro-Indigenous people were among the earliest settlers in Indian Territory. In the first half of the 20th century, Oklahoma was home to more than 50 Black schools. The school alumni commonly refer to it as Washington School is the only remaining structure documenting the history of Black Stillwater.
A discussion was held on Aug. 16, 2022, at the Sheerar Auditorium centered around the preservation of Washington School.
“It’s really exciting, this has been a topic of conversation for a long time in the community,” Stillwater Mayor Will Joyce said. “I know there are folks out there who are already planning what can be done in terms of funding to bring this back to something we can display and show the history.”
According to City staff, there will be no financial impact for the transaction to acquire the property thanks to an anonymous donation.
The donor will give $250,000 to the City of Stillwater to purchase the property. Primeland Properties LLC is also willing to sell the property for $250,000, far less than the appraised market value of $923,810. Upon completion of the sale, the City will provide the seller with a tax donation letter for the balance of the property’s appraised value.
City Manager Norman McNickle shared that the Washington School Alumni have been a part of the discussion around saving the school.
“From our past experience with facilities, generally the public is better at running a building, particularly that one,” McNickle said. “It would be our intent to enter into a MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) with the (Washington School) alumni association to do just that.”
Preservation Oklahoma’s list of endangered places shares that Black history is underrepresented in the built landscape of Oklahoma and that architectural surveys have determined the eligibility for National Register of Historic Places status. However, no nomination has been made by the current owner – a key requirement for approval that could significantly help fund restoration.
Mayor Joyce noted that the City is only acquiring the property and hasn’t set aside funds to renovate it or demolish the additions made to the property long after it was a segregated school.
McNickle said the City does not have the funds to fully renovate the building and take care of other issues – like flooding – but they could clean up the property to make it more presentable and less of an eye sore.
“Some initial clean-up to make it look better than it does today, those kinds of things I think we can accomplish, but in terms of long-term investment, that’s going to take a while,” McNickle said.
The property is located within a 100-year floodplain. All renovations must meet Federal Emergency Management Agency requirements, according to an addendum in the commercial real estate contract. The seller also disclosed that small amounts of asbestos are present on the property.
City Council approved the purchase of the property located at 619 West 12th Avenue. Future preservation efforts will focus on the original building built in 1908.
The building located at 619 West 12th Ave. has been vacant for decades. The most recent effort to develop the property was in 2012. The property owner requested the lot be rezoned from Public to Office. City Council approved the zoning change based on a series of pledges the owner made to acknowledge the location’s historical significance.
The addendum also states the City of Stillwater, as the buyer, acknowledges that on Jan. 19, 2012, the Stillwater City Council approved rezoning the property from Public to Office. That approval was based on a series of pledges made by the seller:
• Seller will allow a six-by-six foot area for the erection of a plaque or memorial to Booker T. Washington School.
• Seller will donate $2,000 toward the memorial.
• Seller will donate 3,000 bricks from the School for the use of the School alumni.
• Seller will provide a 60-day notice to the School alumni group prior to the demolition of the School building.
As the buyer, the City acknowledged and agreed to fill the pledges as they may apply to the City’s future use of the property. The parties also agreed the pledges are only applicable if the original school is demolished.
According to the addendum, the purchase will only go through if the $250,000 donation has been made and the buyer acknowledges the past and present condition of the property and with no warranty provided by the seller.
Booker T. Washington School overhead view. The original building is highlighted with orange.