U.S. Post Office and Federal Courthouse - Chickasha, OK - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

This magnificent building located at 117 N. Fourth Street was built in 1914-1915. It is a three-story rectangular building in the Italian Renaissance Revival style. Evidence of this style lies in the two-story columns, flanked by Tuscan pilasters, arched windows, and Mediterranean style clay tile roofing with decorative cornice and ornamental brackets.

Additional elegance is created with the wrought iron balconettes under the second floor windows and the three metal lanterns in the entryway. This is the only federal building in this style from the early 1900s still extant.

The building is constructed of gray limestone cut blocks, 1'6" x 3' or 5'. The majority of the roof tiles are original, as well as the brick chimney on the North end. The chimney's large size is due to the building once using coal as fuel.

There is a raised first floor entrance, with light wells and a ground elevation raised above the sidewalk level. Grass areas surround the building on three sides, with brick retaining walls. Brick planters on the east, south and west sides replace the original light wells to the basement. In 1964 and 1970, most of the windows were replaced with aluminum sash casement windows. The windows are arched on the first floor and square on the second and third levels. The third floor windows have recessed bas-relief stone panels to each side, mimicing shutters. A wide cornice breaks the vertical lines of the columns with a horizontal line. The cornice is made of carved wood sections pieced together on a wood substructure.

The main entrance on the east elevation has a recessed two-story portico, supported by six Ionic columns which are limestone clad steel. There is a double glass door with a wide transom.

At the time of the National Register listing in 1994, the building was vacant and undergoing remodeling. At the time of posting, it has been fully remodeled and is occupied as the Chickasha City Hall. In the main lobby area, added linoleum flooring has been removed, exposing the beautiful marble flooring. A dropped ceiling has been removed, showing off the original pressed tin ceiling. The original elevator was replaced in 1964, but a similarly styled one was installed - small, and complete with a wall-hanging seat for the elevator operator.

Inside the lobby, a lovely, wide marble staircase on the southeast corner leads up to the second and third floors. The second floor federal courtroom is largely original and is currently used for City Council meetings.

NOTE: In speaking with the person at the front City Hall desk, we heard an amazing tale which we will relate here. Just that afternoon, within an hour of our visit, a heating technician had entered the basement to make repairs. As he waited for his co-worker to arrive, he took some photos in that lower level. To his shock and surprise, one of the photos revealed a man, dressed in clothing from the early 1900s, leaning on a cane. The co-worker arrived about that time, was told the story and took some photos of his own, none of which revealed anything amiss. The employees on the first floor had seen this photo,and all were pretty spooked by it.

Street address: 117. N. Fourth St. Chickasha, OK US 73018 County / Borough / Parish: Grady County Year listed: 1994 Historic (Areas of) Significance: Architecture/Engineeering, Event Periods of significance: 1900-1924, 1925-1949 Historic function: Government Current function: City government Privately owned?: no Hours of operation: From: 8:00 AM To: 5:00 PM Primary Web Site: [Web Link] Season start / Season finish: Not listed Secondary Website 1: Not listed Secondary Website 2: Not listed National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed

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Please give the date and brief account of your visit. Include any additional observations or information that you may have, particularly about the current condition of the site. Additional photos are highly encouraged, but not mandatory.

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Date Logged Log User Rating   11/21/2016 The Snowdog visited it