Watonga Armory

The Watonga Armory (Watonga National Guard Armory) is significant within the economic context of Works Progress Administration projects in Watonga, Oklahoma, 1935-1937, within the military context of national defense requirements of the Oklahoma National Guard's local unit in the era between the two world wars, and within the architectural context of WPA building style and methodology locally and in Oklahoma. The armory was constructed between 1935 and 1937 by local men who were qualified for work relief under WPA guidelines. The project brought $51,307 into the economy of Watonga, Oklahoma, by employing an average of 36 previously unemployed, unskilled workers for more that sixteen months. The armory also filled a longstanding military need for an adequate, secure drill hall and arms storage building for the Headquarters Battery and Combat Train, 189th Field Artillery, 45th Infantry Division of the Oklahoma National Guard, which previously had no permanent armory. The Watonga Armory is significant architecturally as an excellent, intact example of WPA architecture. The exterior materials, Oklahoma-made brick, and craftsmanship evident in the masonry, reflect both the goals of the WPA Building Program in Oklahoma and the potential for overcoming the problems of using unskilled labor to construct large public buildings. The armory is one of three remaining WPA buildings in Watonga. As it is essentially intact, the Watonga Armory is able to convey appropriate feeling and association within these three contexts.