Thomas Community Building
120 E. Broadway, Thomas, OKThe Thomas Community Building is significant within the economic context of the Works Progress Administration project in Thomas, Oklahoma and within the architectural context of the Works Progress Administration construction locally. It is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places for its association with the work undertaken by the Works Progress Administration using local men who were qualified for work relief under specific guidelines established by the WPA. It is also eligible for its architectural significance as an excellent example of Works Progress Administration construction reflecting the goals of the building program of the WPA. The work relief provided by the WPA allowed many local people to survive the trying times of the 1930s while also stimulating the local, and therefore state and national, economies. The building is located in downtown Thomas, Oklahoma, and was built in 1939.
Economic conditions and the morale of the southwestern region of Oklahoma were in dire circumstances in 1935. Fortunately, the WPA provided timely assistance. The construction component of the WPA greatly assisted those in need in southeastern Oklahoma. It provided meaningful employment and some degree of financial security. The Thomas Community Building is significant for its association with the WPA program.
The physical, economic and cultural environment of the community of Thomas shaped the built environment. As the Thomas Community Building was part of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) building program it had to be: useful in terms of the needs of the community, sponsored by a public body and project workmen had to come from persons on the relief rolls.
Both skilled and unskilled relief workers were used for the construction of the Thomas Community Building. Because of the nature of the workers, the building was simple in design and uncomplicated in construction technique. At any one time sponsors of projects had to supply from 10 to 25% of the total construction cost which meant that the building was generally modest. With a WPA appropriation of $38,681, the Thomas Community Building is vernacular in style but distinctly identifiable as WPA architecture.
The method of construction, contribution of materials, and sources of labor were standard operating procedures for the WPA throughout the nation. WPA buildings are significant as the program through which they were funded significantly reduced the economic and social distress of the national depression of the 1930s. The Thomas Community Building provides a legacy to the WPA through recognizable architecture by its type, style, scale, materials and workmanship. The Thomas Community Building is significant as an excellent local example of WPA construction in both Thomas and Custer County.
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 2011.
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.