This building now houses the Oklahoma City University School of Law. Central High School, originally known as Oklahoma High School, is located in the 800 block of N. Robinson, north of the downtown area. It was designed by the architectural firm of Solomon Layton, well known designer of the State Capitol building and other buildings of this era.
This is a four-story stone building in the Gothic style. At the center of each of the three sides facing a street is a tower with embattlements and notched parapets. The towers facing 7th and 8th streets are flat, but the tower facing Robinson to the east is a full four-cornered tower, with the look of a castle.
Each side of the building is divided into five ranks, with the center rank for the entry. On each floor of each rank the windows are set is groups of five six-over-six double hung windows. The entrances are surrounded by heavy stone arches with two sets of seven-step stairways. At the north and south entrances, two metal lights mounted on the surround flank the opening. At the main entrance on the east, two free standing lights flank the stairway.
The class of 1910 who worked hard to encourage the building of this high school wanted to hold their graduation exercises in the new building. The School Board cooperated, ordering the building contractor to complete the auditorium first, so the class could graduate in May of 1910. In September, classes began while the building continued to be completed. It was finished in the Spring of 1911.
A plaque mounted at the east entrance reads:
Central High School / Erected in 1910 as Oklahoma High School, at that time the city's only high school, this Gothic style building was a source of great civic pride. Many future leaders were educated here.
The plaque was placed by Oklahoma City Historic Preservation Commission in 1973.
In 1926, as other high schools were built in the ever-growing Oklahoma City area, Oklahoma High School became Central High School. In 1968, it became a Middle School, and in 1976, Central Innovative High School, a specially organized school for 222 students who were chosen through a lottery.
In 1981, the building was purchased by Southwestern Bell Telephone Company and housed their regional offices. Then, in 2005, the building was bought by Farmers Union Mutual Insurance Company. Sold in 2012 to Oklahoma City University to use as the School of Law.
Oklahoma Postcards is a project of the Oklahoma Collection housed at the Oklahoma Department of Libraries (ODL). The current digital collection is primarily from the George H. Shirk and Wayne Mackey postcard collections, donated by the Oklahoma Heritage Association. Postcards from the Oklahoma Collection as well as smaller donations are also included.
Most of the cards in the collection were commercially produced and document significant buildings and scenes in early Oklahoma. Some postcards are early photographs printed onto postcard paper. Any writing on the cards is transcribed with the original spelling and punctuation (words that could not be clearly deciphered are shown in brackets).
Description
A corner view of the four story white high school in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma shows two ornate entrances to this impressive building.
C. T. AMERICAN ART, Chicago
Physical Description
Postcard 14 x 9 cm.
Postmark OKLAHOMA, OKLA.
NOV 22
7 – PM
1929
Date 1929
Original Publisher C. T. AMERICAN ART, Chicago
Location Oklahoma City (Okla.)
Oklahoma County (Okla.)
Subject Curt Teich & Co. (Chicago, IL)
High Schools
Donor Oklahoma Heritage Association
Collection George H. Shirk Postcard Collection
Box number GHS1PC0215
Type Image
Language English