Williams, Robert Lee, Public Library
Fourth and Beech Sts., Durant, OKAs a WPA building, the Williams Library is distinctive because of its clear art deco style and the use of limestone as a building material. Moreover, it is the only WPA structure specifically and originally dedicated to library purposes in the nomination area. Style and building materials make it unique in the community of Durant, as does its architectural type and characteristics of workmanship. Most significant is that the building provided employment opportunities for destitute laborers at a time when starvation was the only alternative.
Local significance of the building:Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1988.
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.