Adair County Courthouse, Courthouse Square, Stilwell

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Oklahoma experienced its first real "building boom vith the discovery and intense exploitation of oil in the early century, especially the One of the most dominant architectural styles was Art Deco. The cities of Oklahoma City and Tulsa once had great numbers of structures in this style, both large and small, covering a wide range of types and situations. These are largely gone, especially the major structures. The buildings of the smaller towns, such as Stilwell, were influenced by the large metropolitan centers in regard to style, and a surprising number of these may be found in remote rural areas. The courthouse of Adair County at Stilwell is a prime example of this. The details of the structure are characteristic of this style of architecture, much of which is largely unaltered.

PART I. HISTORICAL INFORMATION A. Physical History: 1. Date of erection: According to a cornerstone, the construction date is 2. Architect: Haralson, A.I.A., of Oklahoma City, was the architect for the design of the courthouse. In he received his license to practice architecture in Oklahoma. He had offices in both Muskogee, Oklahoma and Fort Smith, Arkansas, and had a partnership with Ralph 0. Matt. Haralson died in 3. Original and subsequent owners: Reference to property records described below is to the Office of the Clerk of Adair County, Adair County Courthouse, Stilwell, Oklahoma. The first deed on record was not found. ADAIR COUNTY COURTHOUSE HABS No. OK-32 (Page 2) 19 08 Patent Lot 2 Block 39, Town of Stilwell Cherokee Nation to James M.

Kittridge 8 June Recorded 4 August Book 9, page 96 Quitclaim Deed Lot 2 Floretta Kittridge to Ruby Northrop 26 May Recorded 5 July Book 9, page 190 Warrant Deed Lot 2 Floretta Kittridge to Ruby Northrop 9 June 191 1_ Recorded 2.0-3uly Book 9, page 377 Warrant Deed Lot 3 Mark L. Bacon to A.B. Rivers 9 May Recorded 19 May Book 2 0, page 317 Deed Lot 3 Curtis J. Crocker to A.B. Rivers 9 May Recorded 25 May Book 2 0, page 323 Warrant Deed Lot 2 Cora Kittridge to Harry Winsor 15 Novembe r Recorded 2 December 192 0 Book 31, page 126 ADAIR COUNTY COURTHOUSE HABS No. OK-32 (Page 3) Warrant Deed Lot 3 A.B. Rivers and Leila G.

Rivers to Adair County 11 September Recorded 4 October Book 32, page 326 192 0 Warrant Deed Lot 2 Harry Winsor to Albert Carlson 2 October 192 0 Recorded 4 October 192 0 Book 31, page 66 Deed Lot 2 Albert Carlson to Adair County 8 November 192 0 Recorded 8 November 192 0, Book 32, page 379 Deed Lot 2 Cora Kittridge to I.M- Clevinger 3 0 November 192 0 Recorded 1 December Book 32, page 419 Deed Lot 2 Clevinger to Adair County 15 January Recorded 15 January Book 24, page 533 Deed Lot 1 Alene Tucker (nee Johnson), et aX to Adair County, 12 May Recorded 23 July Book 18, page 306 4. Contractor: Reddick. 5. Alterations and additions: The building has not been substantially altered since its construction, except in that the windows have recently been closed, partially, with glass block.

Some lighting has been changed in the office. ADAIR COUNTY COURTHOUSE HABS No. OK-32 (Page 4) B. Historical Context: The courthouse was built to replace a predecessor which burned on Christmas of It has always been used as a courthouse since its construction. PART II. ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION A., General Statement.: 1. Architectural character: The Adair County Courthouse is a well- preserved example of the Art Deco style with native Indian head Motifs. This style of architecture was popular in Oklahoma during the 192 0s with the development of oil resources. 2. Condition of fabric: Excellent. B. Description of Exterior: 1.

Over-all dimensions: The three-story, rectangular-shaped building measures \ with nine bays across its front and six bays along its side, with another two bays in the single- story rear wing. 2. Foundations: The foundations are of concrete, poured in place. Smooth coursed finish blocks of concrete provide the facing for the basement story above ground level. 3. Walls: The walls of the building are of yellow pressed brick ;with white mortar, and white cast concrete lintels and trim. Beneath the second floor windows of the principal block is a wide Vitruvian wave belt course of cast concrete panels. The second and third floor windows on all four facades are flanked by fluted pilasters, also of cast concrete panels.

A concrete band, with the words, "Adair County Courthouse," runs across the front facade at third floor level. 4. Structural system, framing: The building is essentially a brick bearing wall structure with poured reinforced concrete slab floors supported by steel beams and interior columns. 5. Porches: Sight concrete steps stretch across the equally wide \ front porch of concrete, before the three center bays of the principal (north) facade. Both the sides of the stairs and the -^ '" ^ sides of the porch are enclosed by piers with smooth concrete face-blocks which match those of the basement. Concrete window- wells are provided in front of the basement windows , and "a concrete cradle for the oil tank has been provided on the south side of the building. ADAIR COUNTY COURTHOUSE HABS No.

OK-32 (Page 5) 6. Chimneys: There is one chimney, and it is about 10 feet square and of yellow brick matching the walls* It rises about 10 feet above the flat roof between the fifth and sixth bay from the east along the south wall. 7. Openings: a. Doorways and doors: The front door, in the center bay of the front porch, is a narrow stile aluminum frame with gray tinted glass replacement. To either side, the doorways have been filled-in with glass block. All three of the original doorway enframements remain, however. They are of cast concrete panels, with scroll bas-relief and center lintel panel of Indian head design. The single side door, in the sixth bay on the east facade, at ground level, is identical to the front door, and it is identically framed.

(The second side door, which would have been exactly in the same place on the west facade, has been replaced with tile facing, and it would have provided access to the County Welfare Department building, a single-story building immediately adjacent.) b. Windows: The windows of the basement, first and second floors have glass blocks for lights, over horizontally hung aluminum cased windows. A six-over-one arrangement is used in the basement windows, twelve-over-two in the first floor windows and twenty eight (7 courses deep and 4 columns wide)- over-two arrangement in the second floor windows. On the third floor, vertically hung twin steel casement sash are used, each with eight lights.

The prisoner's cell windows on the south and east walls at the third floor level have bars on the inside and wire mesh cages on the outside, screved to the outside wall. 8. Roof: a. Shape, covering: The roof is flat, "beneath a low parapet wall, and drains to the rear. b. Cornice, eaves: There are no eaves. The cornice is of cast concrete panels, such as those which are used around the doorway, with scrolls and Indian heads, capped with yet another series of Vitruvian wave panels. Box gutters and round aluminum downspouts drain the roof, running from just below the cornice on the south facade to the ground. c Radio tower: A radio tower of aluminum tubing, perhaps 6 0 feet high, is attached to the south wall. ADAIR COUNTY COURTHOUSE HABS No. OK-32 (Page 6) Description of Interior: 1.

Floor plans: The front door, in the center bay of the north facade, at first floor level, opens into a wide central corridor which is flanked by offices. The rear end of this corridor leads to a transverse corridor which is on the rear wall of the main block. To the right of the central corridor is the County Court Clerk's Office, with its vault alongside the corridor, which is accessible only from the south wall of the Clerk's office. Behind tJhese two rooms is a narrow service corridor, which runs parallel to the central corridor, and which leads to the transverse corridor near the staircases at the ends of the latter.

This service corridor provides a rear exit for the Court Clerk's Office, but more importantly it services the Associate District Judge's Office, in the northwest corner of the building, and the Election Board Office, midway along the exterior west wall. On the left of the central corridor is the County Treasurer's Office, and its vault likewise accessible only from its office. The County Treasurer also occupies the room directly behind this office, in the extreme northeastern corner of the building. Again, both this room and the Sheriff's Office, which is adjacent, midway along the exterior east wall, are served by another narrow service corridor leading to the rear.

At the end of the central corridor, along the transverse corridor (actually in the single story rear wing) are the three offices and the vault of the County Clerk. The stairs at both ends of the transverse corridor lead to the second floor. Here another transverse corridor stretches along the rear wall and two narrow service corridors, directly over those on the first floor, divide the large courtroom in the center of the building, from the offices of the District Judge along the west wall, and the offices of the District Attorney on the east wall. At the end of these two service corridors are the men's and ladies' rooms.

The smaller flight of stairs, one on either side of the transverse corridor, near its junctures with the service corridors, lead to the third floor jail, which is actually wrapped around three sides of the upper half of the courtroom. Approached by the stairs on the east (the west stairs are used only for fireescape purposes), the jail is essentially a series of cages along the south and west walls, with the gallery and jailer's quarters along the east walls. All these rooms are connected by a single-loaded corridor on the inside, around the courtroom.

Beginning in the northeast corner of the building and going south, there is the jailer's room, with his shower at the end of the corridor (obviously stacked over the ladies' room below on the second floor), the gallery, the entrance from the ADAIR COUNTY COURTHOUSE HABS No. OK-32 (Page 7) second floor, a prisoner's shower, and two solitary confinement cells in the southeast corner. Continuing west, there is the "bullpen," (a sleeping area for Saturday night drunks), and several bunk detention bays. In the southwest corner is the women's cellroom, and its rest room (originally designed for men). Along the west wall are two juvenile cells, one for girls and one for boys.

In the basement, which is accessible from the staircases at the ends of the transverse corridor on the first floor, there is another transverse corridor with two service corridors. The three offices of the County School Superintendent are underneath those of the County Clerk in the basement of the rear wing. Along the west wall are the men's room, the furnace and maintenance rooms, and along the east wall are the ladies room, the County Agent's Office and the County Surveyor's Office. In between, beneath the central corridor upstairs, are the County Assessor's Office on the right, and the County Agricultural Extension Agent's Office on the left.

2* Stairways: The principal stairways between the basement, first and second floors have terrazzo treads and risers with cast bronze balustrade screens and a metal handrail. These are open- well, two-and-a half flight arrangements. The secondary staircases, which are much narrower, extend from the basement to the third floor. These are also two-and-a half flight stairs. They have sheet metal treads and risers, with poured concrete overtreads, and are painted gray. The elevator adjacent to the east stairs, electrically powered, has been inoperative for some time (and was inaccesible). Its shaftway extended from the basement to the third floor, which was the jail entrance. 3.

Flooring: The basement floor is concrete finished, with the exception of the County School Superintendent's Office, which has been covered with red carpeting. The principal corridors of the first floor have a gray terrazzo floor. The offices and the service corridors all have linoleum block floors, and the vaults have concrete floors. In the Court Clerk's Office and the Associate District Judge's Office the linoleum block floors have been over- laid with yellow carpeting. The second floor likewise has a gray terrazzo floor in the transverse corridor with linoleum block else- where, with the exception of the area beyond the courtroom railing, which is also covered with yellow carpeting. The third floor has a concrete floor throughout, painted gray. k.

Wall and ceiling finish: The walls and ceilings of most rooms are finished in plaster, painted green or white, on expanded metal lath. There are several exceptions: in the basement, a partition wall,of concrete block painted white, which separates the County Agricultural Extension Agent's office from ADAIR COUNTY COURTHOUSE HABS No. OK-32 (Page 8) the County Assessor's Office. On the first floor, marble facing has been applied to the lower half of the walls of the principal corridors, and this treatment has been extended to the stairways and th second floor transverse corridor. Also, on the second floor, the ceiling of the courtroom has been changed to a dropped acoustical panel ceiling.

The walls of the cells on the third floor have been badly damaged due to prisoner abuse: the plaster in some cases has been entirely stripped off, leaving the exposed brick which was behind. 5. Doorways and doors: The doors and doorways of the building are almost all original. They have assymetrically molded trim enframing either a single pane-over-single panel door, or a double panel door, the panes and panels all being square. The vaults all have steel frames and steel barred safe doors. The courtroom has taller wooden doors of three panels, all square, in keeping with the original height of the room. The jail has a sheet metal steel door in a plain steel frame. 6. Mechanical equipment: a.

Heating: An oil fed boiler in the basement provides steam heat through a system of radiators throughout the building. Cooling is by means of a number of window unit air conditioners. b. Lighting: The original incandescent lighting fixtures remain in the principal corridors. These are single bulbs with tiered polygonal glass reflectors* Some flourescent lighting has been installed in the offices. These are twin tube fixtures approximately 48 inches in length. In the Courtroom, recessed twin tube flourescent fixtures with plastic lenses have been installed in the acoustical panel ceiling. c.

Plumbing: Most of the fixtures, such as the flush tank commodes and oval bowl sinks of the men's and women's rooms appear to be original fixtures* The siphon jet commodes of the jail cells on the third floor, however, are replacements. D. Site General setting and orientation: The courthouse is built in the center of a half block, just off the intersecton of the two principal streets in town. It is surrounded on the west and north by commercial buildings and on the south and east by religious and residential structures, all lower in height. A row of trees extends to the street from the left hand side entrance, in part shading the alley parking lot which extends behind the ADAIR COUNTY COURTHOUSE HABS No. OK-32 (Page 9) building.

A sidewalk, about four feet wide, surrounds the property, and approaches the front stairs. 2. Outbuilding: An octagonal bandstand, approximately 20 feet in diameter of lightweight aggregate-concrete block on a poured concrete floor and octogonal gray shingle roof, has been constructed on the northwest corner of -the lot. PART III. SOURCES OF INFORMATON Property deed records. Adair County Courthouse, Stilwell, Oklahoma. PART IV. PROJECT INFORMATION The project was undertaken by the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) in cooperation with the Oklahoma Historical Society and the Cherokee National Historical Society.

Under the direction of John Poppeliers, Chief of HABS, the project was completed during the summer of at the HABS Field Office on the campus of Northeastern Oklahoma State University, Tahlequah, Oklahoma, by Michael A. Tomlan (Cornell University), Project Supervisor; John D. Hnedak (Cornell University), Project Historian; Bethanie C. Grashof (University of Florida), Vicki J. Higgins (University of Cincinnati), Nicholas H. Holmes III (Auburn University) and Roger D. Swayze (University of Oregon), student # assistant architects. The written descriptive data was edited for permanent HABS collection at the Library of Congress by Susan McCown, a HABS staff historian in the Washington, office, in the winter of Walter Smalling, Jr. of Heritage Conservation and. Recreation Service, U.S.

Department of the Interior took the documentary photos of the building in October of