United States Post Office Watonga - Watonga, OK
Posted by: 
hamquilter
N 35° 50.723 W 098° 24.794
14S E 552987 N 3966958
This NRHP listing includes both the post office building, and the WPA-commissioned mural in its lobby.
Waymark Code: WMNZQ9
Location: Oklahoma, United States
Date Posted: 05/30/2015
Views: 3
The Watonga post office is located at 121 N. Noble Avenue in the downtown area, and serves this city of about 3000 people. It was constructed in 1936-1937 by the PWP, a New Deal program to put people to work building roads, post offices and schools.
This is a one-story red brick building, with a basement. There is a side to side gable roof covered in composition shingles. The rear portion of the building has a flat roof. The entrance is on the east and consists of a 6-step staircase with iron railings leading to a double aluminum and glass doorway, with sidelights and a fixed transom. Above the entrance is a multi-paned fanlight. The windows throughout are 9 over 9 single hung.
In the lobby, the original wood door into the postmaster's office offers a peak into the past. Above that door is a WPA mural, added in 1941. The mural is titled Roman Nose Canyon, and was painted by Edith Mahier, a University of Oklahoma student who won the commission to paint this mural. The website shown below offers a detailed description of the mural, and the controversy surrounding it.
Street address:
121 N. Noble
Watonga, OK USA
73750
County / Borough / Parish: Blaine County
Year listed: 2009
Historic (Areas of) Significance: Politics, Government, Art
Periods of significance: 1936-1941
Historic function: Government/Post Office
Current function: Government/Post Office
Privately owned?: no
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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Visit Instructions:
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.