Enid business district named to National Register of Historic Places

By Robert Barron Staff Writer

December 24, 2007 09:23 pm

— In 1893, Enid was a bustling town that appeared to have a great future.
A downtown business district was being formed that would become the core of the city’s commercial district. Today, that original 1893 plat and the buildings on it have been na-med to the National Register of Historic Places. Enid Histroic Preservation Committee submitted the application for recognition, which was approved Dec. 12. The addition of the downtown area makes three historical districts in Enid, including the Waverly and Kenwood residential districts.
The designation calls national attention to properties included in the district and also provides the owners of buildings used as income-producing property the opportunity to receive tax credits. Shirley Marquardt, a member of the committee, said if a building is producing income through either rental or commercial it is eligible for tax credits for rehabilitation. The credits total 40 percent of the value of rehabilitation. Both the federal and state government allow 20 percent.
There are 82 buildings included in the downtown district, which comprises 29.6 acres. The buildings were constructed over a 57-year period beginning in 1900. The area essentially is the downtown area that faces the Garfield County Court House and Enid Post Office. It includes the 100 blocks of East and West Randolph, the 100 blocks of North and South Grand and the 100 blocks of North and South Independence. The area also includes the 200 block of West Broadway, the 100 block of East Broadway, the 200 block of North Washington and South Adams. It includes two structures that are 50 years old — the Statue of Liberty and Doughboy Statue on the east lawn of the Public Library of Enid and Garfield County. The library itself is not included because it is not old enough, Marquardt said.
“Downtown Enid was added for two reasons. It is associated with the development of commerce in Enid, and when you look at downtown the Square was created as the central core for commercial and government sites,” she said. “When you talk about the core of Enid we still see it as the heart of the community today because of the post office and the courthouse are located here and draw people downtown.”
Structures included in the district encompass both local and national architectural patterns. There are 43 commercial-style buildings, she said.
In the downtown the post office and courthouse are examples of Classical Revival, Broadway Tower is Art Deco, the former Montgomery Ward building is Colonial Revival and the Pioneer Telephone Building is Italian Renaissance Revival style.
Other styles in downtown include Mission, International, 60s Modern and one 1990s Modern.
“Enid styles evolved nationally for commercial buildings and the Enid commercial district evolved consistently with other styles of buildings across the United States, and are a good reflection of what was happening across the U.S. at the same time,” Marquardt said.
The downtown district makes up most of the original plat of 1893. Included in the historic designation is the Knox Building, now owned by Advance Food and Enid Symphony Association at 303 W. Broadway.
A number of buildings in the downtown area have facades over the original structures and are considered “noncontributing,” Marquardt said. “If the facade is removed and sufficient original features remain, it can become a contributing building.”