The Council of Independent Colleges: Historic Campus Architecture Project

Clara E. Jones Administration Building

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Clara E. Jones Administration Building, Oklahoma City University

Institution Name: Oklahoma City University
Original/Historic Place Name: Administration Building
Location on Campus: (east side) 2501 N. Blackwelder Ave.
Date(s) of Construction:

1922	original construction Schmidt, William T.

Designer: William T. Schmidt
Type of Place: Individual building
Style: Other (Glossary)
Significance: architecture, culture, history, religion
Narrative: see below
References: see below

Materials:

Foundation: reinforced concrete

Walls: masonry

Roof: raised-seam metal

Function:

ca. 1922	chapel
ca. 1922	library
ca. 1922	classrooms (including science laboratories)
ca. 1922-2004	administration (financial aid, business, registrar, security, institutional advancement)
ca. 2004-present (2006)	admissions office

Narrative:
Built in 1924, the Administration Building was the first building on campus. Although the interior has undergone complete renovation, the exterior remains essentially the same.

Outdoors, the east side of the building has a stone plaza; the west has a statue entitled "The Pioneer Preacher," especially appropriate in light of the college's close connection with the United Methodist Church. Burberry hedges, waxleaf ligustrum hedges, pines and spruce, oak and pear trees, and various annuals add seasonal color.

The building is currently undergoing tuckpointing and exterior restoration in order to preserve the oldest campus traditions.

References:

Oklahoma Historical Society. Oklahoma City University. National Register of Historic Places designation report. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of the Interior/National Park Service, 1978.