Hobart City Hall (aka Old City Hall) - Hobart, OK
Posted by: 
hamquilter
N 35° 01.553 W 099° 05.558
14S E 491549 N 3875917
This building was placed on the National Register in 1978.
Waymark Code: WM11V7X
Location: Oklahoma, United States
Date Posted: 12/21/2019
Views: 2
Only eleven years after the town was established in 1901, the new town built this three-story brick building, which housed the City Hall and an 1100-seat auditorium. The words "CITY HALL" can be found etched in the concrete over the entrance to the Shortgrass Playhouse on the southeast corner of the building.
The auditorium on the upper floors was a center of community activity, and was used for church revivals, public school events, graduations, political speeches and prize fights. In the 1930's a portion of the building provided offices for the Works Progress Administration, and during World War II was a USO facility. After the War, proms and dances were held here, and today, it houses the Shortgrass Playhouse, which puts on three live performances each year.
The ground floor of the building held all of the City offices from 1912 until the 1960's when a new city building was constructed nearby. Today, the ground floor is occupied by Hobart Fire Department.
The building, constructed in 1912, was placed on the National Register in 1978. The three-story building has large windows on the ground floor, plus two vehicle doors for the Fire Department. There are eight bays on the front facing E. 3rd Street, and six on the west side facing Main. Separated by brick pilasters, each bay has one or two large window units with arched tops and fanlights, and wood-framed double hung windows. Light colored bricks form lines around portions of the building, and cross-hatching above the windows and above the overhanging cornice.