Sulphur Armory - Sulphur, OK
N 34° 30.607 W 096° 58.356
14S E 686113 N 3820584
Also known as the National Guard Armory, the Sulphur Armory stands vacant today at 500 W Wynnewood Ave, Sulphur, OK. Placed on the National Register in 1994, it is an outstanding example of the work of the Works Progress Administration.
Waymark Code: WMRMPX
Location: Oklahoma, United States
Date Posted: 07/09/2016
Views: 6
The cornerstone is all the documentation you need:
State Armory
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Built by
Works Progress
Administration
1936
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W.S. Key
State Administrator
But there's more.
While the old armory isn't in ruin, it could use a little bit of maintenance, and today, you'll find Sulphur High School football equipment stored behind it. The windows are screened so as to make a peek inside impossible, so there is no indication as to whether or not the building is being used for storage. While surrounded by a barbed wire fence, the gate to the back is wide open, making photography easy.
The National Register registration form is a good read (see URL), but in summary, the Sulphur Armory made the National Register of Historic Places because of its association with the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and the Oklahoma National Guard. The WPA put the jobless to work -- they even had a camp in Platt National Park, which is now part of the Chickasaw National Recreation Area -- and their architecture and handiwork are present in many stone buildings like this one throughout Sulphur. The Oklahoma National Guard occupied the building for over fifty-six years.
The armory is a single-story, roughly rectangular building, about 145' by 122'. It is built of native stone and brick, and has a barrel-roofed drill hall and a flat-roofed administrative section. The use of geometrical shapes and vertical lines to break the horizontal mass of the building suggest an Art Deco influence on the design. The use of native materials along with the fortress-like appearance make the Sulphur Armory an excellent example of WPA architecture in Oklahoma.
Project type: Government building (non-park)
Date built or created: 1936
Location: Vicinity of Platt National Park (Today, Chickasaw National Recreation Area)
City: Sulphur, OK
Condition: Good upkeep with a little wear and tear
Website for additional information: [Web Link]
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