First United Methodist Church
202 E. Oklahoma, Walters, OKThe building is significant because:(1) It is the only building in Cotton County with major elements of the Romanesque Revival architecture combined with a large central dome (2) It is the best example of this architecture and design in Southwestern Oklahoma.
The congregation was formed in 1902, five years before statehood, and built the first wood frame church building on the site in 1905 for a cost of $1,620.00. The nominated property was built on this site under the guidance of Rev. B.M. Nelson in 1917 for a cost of $15,000.00 and donated labor by the congregation. One other Methodist church with this design is known in Southwest Oklahoma, but that building in Tipton, is in poor condition and smaller in scale. One unique feature other than the architecture is that the building is made of hand-made bricks using a local clay and church members' labor.
The building has the monochromatic brick walls with special emphasis on the monumental semi-circular arches over the windows. The pronounced archivolt or rowlock arches over the stained glass windows are further emphasized with large overhanging gable roofs. Although the building has no polygonal towers, the octagonal central dome gives a strong hint of the Romanesque Revival style. The building is in the central downtown area of the county seat and is well known and admired by the local townspeople as a landmark.
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
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.