Plaza Court - Oklahoma City, OK - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

Well-known architects, Hawk & Paar, designed this wedge-shaped building which was completed in 1927 at a cost of $150,000. It was so sound from an engineering standpoint that years later, when a three-level parking area was added at the back, the building did not need to be strengthen, even though cars are parked on the roof of the original building.

This is a two-story brick building with a basement, which faces south southwest at the intersection of Classen and Walker, with N. W. 10th Street. The center section of the building has a mezzanine which was constructed specifically for one of the first tenants, Crescent Market. This was a first class structure made of reinforced concrete and fireproof.

At the time of placement on the National Register, the building was described as having a stucco exterior on the upper level, with the clay roof tiles and decorative trim painted gold. That is not the case today. The building has been returned to its original exposed brick, with the gold paint removed from the roof and trim. A continuous metal awning above the first floor display windows extends the full length of the west side, around the wedge front and partially down the east side. On the roof, at the wedged-front is a very large metal super-structure which holds lettering reading "MIDTOWN PLAZA COURT."

It was a new concept to build a shopping area outside the downtown area, away from streetcar routes, and nearer to the upscale residential areas springing up throughout the northern part of the Oklahoma City area. The building was named "Plaza" which is Spanish for market place, and the term "Court" refers to arrival by auto and not streetcar, all contributing to the new concept in shopping.

Many well-known and long-standing businesses became tenants here. The Crescent Market, the radio station WKY, one of the first commercial stations west of the Mississippi, one of the Veazey Drug chain stores, and a florist who remained here for forty years.

The building continues to flourish and is now the home of many offices and retail businesses. The spotlighted business in the front-and-center wedged area is James E. McNellie's Public House, an Irish pub and restaurant that is very popular in the local area.

Plaza Court was placed on the National Register in 1980 (#80003290).
[Source of detail: National Register nomination]

Street address: 1100 Classen Drive Oklahoma City, OK US 73103 County / Borough / Parish: Oklahoma County Year listed: 1980 Historic (Areas of) Significance: Architecture/Engineering, Person Periods of significance: 1925-1949 Historic function: Commerce/Trade Current function: Commerce/Trade Privately owned?: yes Primary Web Site: [Web Link] Secondary Website 1: [Web Link] Season start / Season finish: Not listed Hours of operation: Not listed Secondary Website 2: Not listed National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   04/15/2019 vulture1957 visited it