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Historic Preservation Commission recommends Downtown Oklahoma City Historic District for National Register consideration
Summary
The commission voted to recommend RHP-25-00005, a National Register nomination prepared by the Oklahoma State Historic Preservation Office, forwarding the Downtown Oklahoma City Historic District (period of significance c.1907–1975) to City Council and then to SHPO/NPS for final action.
The Historic Preservation Commission voted to recommend a National Register nomination that would establish a new Downtown Oklahoma City Historic District spanning roughly the 1907–1975 period of significance. Katie, a staff member for the commission, introduced the application prepared by the Oklahoma State Historic Preservation Office; Michael Mays of SHPO described the district’s scope and rationale and told commissioners the nomination documents reflect 44 contributing resources across the proposed boundary.
"The Downtown Oklahoma City Historic District is being nominated to the National Register under the criteria of commerce and law with the period of significance of 1907 to 1975," Michael Mays said during the presentation. He said the district contains a continuum of high-rise commercial buildings that reflect downtown’s growth tied to early statehood and the oil industry.
Staff told the commission that listing would not change zoning or the city’s existing design-review requirements but would make property owners eligible for historic tax credits when renovating contributing buildings. Commissioners asked about how boundaries were drawn and whether adding or removing blocks would change the contributing-resource threshold; Mays and staff said they weighed existing historic districts, building concentrations and the requirement that more than half the buildings be contributing.
After discussion the commission moved to recommend approval and to adopt a resolution forwarding the nomination to City Council; the motion was seconded and carried. Staff noted the nomination will next go to City Council, then back to SHPO’s review committee and, if approved there, to the National Park Service for final listing. No public commenters spoke on the item during the commission’s public comment call.
The commission’s recommendation is advisory to City Council; the National Register listing process will continue at the municipal and state levels before any final federal action.
