Wilson, J. L., Building - Durant, OK
Posted by: 
hamquilter
N 33° 59.544 W 096° 22.629
14S E 742268 N 3764414
The J.L. Wilson Building has a history filled with a variety of uses.
Waymark Code: WMYQEF
Location: Oklahoma, United States
Date Posted: 07/11/2018
Views: 0
The J.L. Wilson building is a 2-story building constructed in 1901. It has stone side walls and a flat roof. The facade facing Evergreen has a single storefront, with display windows which wrap around a canted corner on the southeast. The clerestory is extant, and a flat wood canopy is over the entire front of the building.
The thing that makes this building unique is the use of pressed tin on the overhanging cornice, on the canted corner, and between each of the second floor windows. Those windows are wood-framed 9-over-9 windows. The building was placed on the National Register in 1982.
The history of this building is fascinating:
* Built by J.L. Wilson in 1901
* The Federal government set up a court on the second floor from 1902-1904, to help protect the white settlers since the town was still under Indian jurisdiction at that time
* In 1904, Wilson set up an Opera House
* In 1908, he sold the building and it was remodeled and continued as an Opera House for the next few decades. This owner kept the building until 1985
* From 1915-1919, while a new federal building was being constructed, it served as the Durant Post Office
* In the 1920's and 1930's, the second floor was used as a drill hall for the Oklahoma National Guard
* In the 1930's the second floor was also used as offices for the WPA
* The first floor area has housed a furniture store, dry goods business, and for years was the Double-Dip Ice Cream Parlor
* It was remodeled and refurbished again in 1985
* Today, the first floor is occupied by the Opera House Coffee shop. OPERA HOUSE has been painted across the clerestory
