Seventh Street Staircase - Pawhuska Downtown Historic District - Pawhuska, OK
Posted by: YoSam.
N 36° 39.936 W 096° 20.372
14S E 737774 N 4061075
Number 13 on the NRHP form. Built at the same time as Apartment Complex.
Waymark Code: WMZNTW
Location: Oklahoma, United States
Date Posted: 12/10/2018
Views: 0
County of structure: Osage County
Location of structure: Ki-He-Kah Ave. & 7th St., Pawhuska
Built: 1920-1927
Number of steps: 88
"13. SEVENTH STREET STAIRCASE WITH PUBLIC STORM SHELTER, circa 1920-1927. Early Sanborn
Fire Insurance Maps show Ninth Street, Seventh Street, and Sixth Street between
Ki-he-kah (formerly Paw-Hus-Kah) Avenue and Grand View Avenue as being "impassable".
The reason for this is a dramatic bluff, known as Agency Hill, rising some sixty
feet above the flat commercial district. Not only did this Hill physically divide
the town, but it also socially separated it. Above was the Osage Indian Agency which
was developed between the 1870's and the 1910's. Below was the predominantly "white
settlement" downtown which was platted and auctioned for development in 1906.
"However, business and government transactions did take place. Preceding vehicular
transportation, pedestrians dominated the "traffic". As a means to overcome the
obstacle of the Hill, the three "impassable" streets became staircases, originally
constructed of wood. The NINTH STREET STAIRCASE (now built of sandstone, not
nominated), connected various houses perched on the steep hill. (Only of few of
these remain as the lack of vehicular access has unfortunately made them unmarketable.)
The SEVENTH STREET STAIRCASE and the SIXTH STREET STAIRCASE (to be discussed later)
have been replaced with concrete plazas, steps, and landings with pipe railings and
decorative cast-iron light posts. The importance of these staircases is probably
responsible for the locations of certain builidngs [sic] in the downtown in relation to
previously built Osage Agency structures.
"At the base of the SEVENTH STREET STAIRCASE is the circa 1920 WHITING BUILDING (#69),
the new U.S. Post Office for Pawhuska (now containing county offices). At the top,
is the headquarters building for the Agency. The staircase itself has a flight of
stairs, marked by decorative cast-iron light posts, leading to a plaza approximately
fifteen feet square. Decorative stone newel posts and corner posts are connected
with original pipe railing. The four corners have intricately detailed, gooseneck,
cast-iron light posts. Five steps above this plaza is another area measuring
twenty-five feet wide and thirty feet deep. Concrete curbing in the scored concrete
suggests four trees were planted there at one time. The upper plaza is located
directly on the ground, whereas the lower plaza is located on top of a sandstone walled
public storm shelter (discussed later). To the north of the upper plaza is
the front facade of Number 12; to the south, the rear of the second floor of
Number 14 which opens onto the rear yard. (Buildings numbered 14-31 and 33-41
have rear yards accessible only from the rear of the structure at the second story
level.) To the west, the steps continue for six more flights with concrete newel
posts supporting cast-iron light posts marking the landings." ~ NRHP Nomination Form