Cain's Coffee Building - Oklahoma City, OK - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

The Cain's Coffee Building was constructed in 1919. It is a five-story brick and tile building. The exterior walls are covered with white glazed tile. Tile was often used on brick buildings in this era to enhance their look. This is the only known building in Oklahoma City which still has this tile covering. The building faces south to N.W. 12th Street. On this facade, small blue diamond-shaped tiles are inset on each floor beneath the windows.

The south elevation is divided by pilasters into seven bays. The center five bays have a triple 6 ft. by 12 ft. window on each floor. The outer bays have three individual windows on each floor. The main entrance on the south has a pitched metal awning above large, wooden double doors with geometric carving. Above the doors two additional wood carved panels copy the door design. To each side of the doors are narrow, multi-paned windows.

The brick on the west elevation has been painted beige. There is a parking lot to the west, N. W. 12th Street to the south, the railroad siding to the east and an alley to the north of the building.

The building has had a series of tenants over the years, most of whom used the railroad access in their operations:
1919 - Sifers Candy Company
1923 - V.V. Campbell Company, a manufacturer of extracts; and Blatz Brewery
1926 - Sigmon Furniture Company, manufacturer
1935 - Offices of Federal Emergency Relief Administration and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) motor repair shop.
1941 - Building deeded to Oklahoma City University and leased to Cain's Coffee Company
1961 - Building abandoned; remained vacant until mid-1970s
1970s - Western Waterproofing Co. on first floor; remainder vacant
The building was vacant and in disrepair in 1982 at the time it was placed on the Register.

Today, the first floor is occupied by Life Issues, Inc. who operate Life House Books & Coffee. This is a Christian bookstore and pro-life resource center. They also use the building for storage of literature, clothing and medical equipment for Christians in Russia and Romania.

Street address: 1 N. W. 12th Street Oklahoma City, OK US 73103 County / Borough / Parish: Oklahoma County Year listed: 1982 Historic (Areas of) Significance: Event Periods of significance: 1900-1924 Historic function: Industry/Processing/Extraction 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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