County of City: Kay County.
Some history of the building:
The original building was a Civic Auditorium, designed by Layton and Smith, the same architects of the Oklahoma State Capital. Built in the Spanish Colonial style in 1917, City Hall sets the architectural tone for the rest of the city.
Following the completion of the building, the citizens voted approval for a bond to pay for the east and west wings to connect to the Civic Auditorium. Layton, Smith and Forsythe were the architects for these wings, and the project was completed in 1924. The finished wings, plus the auditorium, housed the Civic Center Complex with the civic auditorium in the center building and fire, police and city administration in the wing buildings. The auditorium was the center of community theater activities with many famous performers of the day gracing its stage.
In 1992, the Ponca City Fire Marshall declared the Civic Auditorium a fire hazard, and the facility was closed. City departments continued to operate in the east wing, and Fire Station No. 1 was housed in the west wing.
Voters approved a 2-year sales tax to renovate Fire Station No. 1 in 1997. Once completed, voters approved a 3-year sales tax to renovate the remainder of the Complex. The new City Hall complex was completed in 2003 and was designed by Richard Winterrowd and Troy Lewis of Lewis Associates Architects of Ponca City.
The first floor contains all of the most commonly used functions of city government. This allows great access for the citizens of Ponca City to pay their bills, visit the city clerk, apply for a job or work with community development services.
Entry Vestibule
Everything in the building is new except for the brick structural walls, the roof structure and the original vault door. The interior of the building was designed to match the historic exterior. Many materials, colors and arched openings were designed as a complement to the Spanish Mission Style from the 1920's.
The entry vestibule is a new addition to the building and is the dramatic front door to city government. The design was based on the awning that was originally designed for the building but was never installed. The copper barrel vaults blend perfectly with the facade of the building in scale, proportion and materials. Copper was selected as the cladding material because of its timeless quality and its natural finish. Copper is easily molded to the curved shapes of the entry and can be allowed to gracefully age to a natural patina. The copper on the interior was protected to maintain the new shiny copper penny look as a contrast to the natural patina of the exterior. In addition, the pebbled copper ceiling is contrasted with the smooth copper battens and is highlighted by indirect cove lighting.
LOBBY
The lobby area was enlarged from the original ticket lobby into a grand civic gathering space. The original brick was intentionally exposed to contrast with the new highly finished materials of wrought iron, cast stone, copper coves, terrazzo floors, granite countertops, glass blocks and painted gypsum board walls. New openings were created in the existing brick walls to visually expand the space to two stories and connect with the upper and lower promenades. The stone wainscoting serves two functions. It provides human scale to the tall brick walls while also covering the portion of the wall that used to be below the old floor line. The awning over the reception counter is a replica of the awning that was originally designed for the front entry.
The two grand staircases were added on either side. The wrought iron railings tie visually with the cast iron structural columns. The floral panels in the stair railing match the floral pattern of the pressed metal wall panels located high above the stairs. The pressed metal wall panels, light coves, and crown moulds reflect materials common to many downtown retail buildings of the era and were a perfect fit for the new building.
The color schemes of various shades of gold and cream on the walls and ceilings tie the building to the past history of bold civic architectural spaces. The lighting throughout the building is coordinated in style and function and sets a dramatic ambience for the space.
An information desk is located at the main entrance to provide assistance to citizens and visitors. The City Clerk's office is on the east side of the lobby, and the Utility Billing/Accounting window is on the west side. Customer Service is located beyond the Utility Billing window on the west side. There are public restrooms and an elevator to enhance accessibility for public use of the building and Centennial Plaza.