Urban Renewal . . . Pawhuska Style

[RadicalModerate]

Please don't take any of my first impressions, from my first visit, as any sort of dissin' of Pawhuska. The road into town, from Bartlesville, is an interesting drive and Pawhuska was nothing like I previously pictured it. Everything I like about Guthrie was there, except older, more authentic and there were far more significant hills. Definitely worth seeing at least once. Actually, I'm looking forward to a return visit. Just as I'm looking forward to another visit to Downtown OKC.

Sometime, in the distant past, these steps were, like, new. And, apparently, fairly important.


Whatever used to be on this now vacant lot would have blocked this photo op.


The new, improved, closer to code, steps to the top. If that is a door to a secret passage, leading to an elevator of some sort, it should probably not be ajar.


Every town needs a building like this. They should be a mandatory part of Urban Planning.


Where the elite meet to keep things on track. Note the accessabiliy to the storefronts. Another element of proper Urban design.

In truth, I never would have had the perspective on Pawhuska that I did, had it not been for many things that I have learned here at OKC Talk.

btw: My first impression of Bartlesville was that it wasn't too shabby either.
They even have a really cool, Old School, tower.

[KenRagsdale]

Bartlesville may be the "best" Oklahoma city, for a variety of reasons

[Bunty]

Pawhuska looked like a ghost town. Probably the courthouse and other government buildings are all that keeping things from going totally vacant. The town needs a oil boom.

[RadicalModerate]

Pawhuska looked like a ghost town. Probably the courthouse and other government buildings are all that keeping things from going totally vacant. The town needs a oil boom.

Pawhuska is midway between Bartlesville (Frank Phillips/Phillips Petroleum/Phillips 66/Price Tower) and Ponca City (Marland Oil/Marland Mansion/Getty Oil/Conoco). It is difficult to re-inflate a busted balloon. However, Ree "The Pioneer Woman" Drummond lives and thrives midway between Pawhuska and Ponca City. The downside is that the drive is a lot flatter and more boring. Even if the scenery is more productive in terms of cattle and a few, still functioning pumping units.

Seem to me that Pawhuska would be a great place for Art Galleries. Especially in term of Native American Art. Perhaps even a good spot for a branch of Woolaroc Museum.

Or, just maybe, Pawhuska would be the ideal location for relocating Stage Center rather than simply demolishing it . . ?
That way, Pawhuska could move in the direction of having a piece of Classic Architecture of its own . . .

(again: not dissin' Pawhuska. simply rootin' for the underdog. and hoping for the best. they already have sidewalks, cool streelights and diagonal parking . . . all they need to do in that regard, in terms of improvement, is reverse the direction of the parking space lines so people can back in and pull out rather than pull in and have to back out. That and install some state of the art parking meters. =)

[lasomeday]

Pawhuska is midway between Bartlesville (Frank Phillips/Phillips Petroleum/Phillips 66/Price Tower) and Ponca City (Marland Oil/Marland Mansion/Getty Oil/Conoco). It is difficult to re-inflate a busted balloon. However, Ree "The Pioneer Woman" Drummond lives and thrives midway between Pawhuska and Ponca City. The downside is that the drive is a lot flatter and more boring. Even if the scenery is more productive in terms of cattle and a few, still functioning pumping units.

Seem to me that Pawhuska would be a great place for Art Galleries. Especially in term of Native American Art. Perhaps even a good spot for a branch of Woolaroc Museum.

Or, just maybe, Pawhuska would be the ideal location for relocating Stage Center rather than simply demolishing it . . ?
That way, Pawhuska could move in the direction of having a piece of Classic Architecture of its own . . .

(again: not dissin' Pawhuska. simply rootin' for the underdog. and hoping for the best. they already have sidewalks, cool streelights and diagonal parking . . . all they need to do in that regard, in terms of improvement, is reverse the direction of the parking space lines so people can back in and pull out rather than pull in and have to back out. That and install some state of the art parking meters. =)

Pawhuska is in a renewal. Red Drummond is fixing up one building and other buildings are about to be restored. Pawhuska has great history with the Osage and with Bonnie and Clyde staying there shortly before they were killed. Many great stories and history in Pawhuska.

[RadicalModerate]

Pawhuska is in a renewal. Red Drummond is fixing up one building and other buildings are about to be restored. Pawhuska has great history with the Osage and with Bonnie and Clyde staying there shortly before they were killed. Many great stories and history in Pawhuska.

Just in case you didn't get it, I'm a big fan of Ree Drummond. She ain't Emeril or Jacques P but she ain't no slouch in terms of Culinary Art Quality (and all the rest related thereto. =)

So . . . Is Red Drummond related to the family? =)

Before it was Pawhuska . . . wasn't it BraveHeart?
(or was that a different little Oklahoma town?)

Perhaps a musical interlude is in order?
(a metaphorical blast from the past that has something to do with all this . . . ? Bunty? ^?)


I'm not sure that Jimmy Buffett was singing about Ringling, Oklahoma . . .
yet maybe he was . . . in a way . . . =)

[lasomeday]

Just in case you didn't get it, I'm a big fan of Ree Drummond. She ain't Emeril or Jacques P but she ain't no slouch in terms of Culinary Art Quality (and all the rest related thereto. =)

So . . . Is Red Drummond related to the family? =)

That is Ree Drummond, sorry typing from an I-phone.... autocorrect. I did my graduate project on Pawhuska and the Osage so I am kind of an expert on them and the downtown area. Most of downtown is listed on the Historic Registry as an urban downtown historic district. One of few in the state and the first I think before Guthrie.

She is fixing up the historic Osage Mercantile Building. Which is on the spot of the original mercantile built back in the late 1800s. It is where the Osage bought most of their goods when they got their checks from the government from their oil royalties. The U.S. government had many rules and appointed lawyers to dictate how each if they were full blood Osage got their money from their allotment. The half bloods as they called it, did not have as many rules in most cases and didn't get money stolen from lawyers.

Drummond renovates building | Bartlesville Examiner Enterprise

Pawhuska still has great examples of unique mixed use buildings. The Whiting Apartments has been turned into a Bed and Breakfast. It is a unique structure art decoish with retail on the bottom floor and "apartments" above. See pictures below.

Osage couple opens renovated Bed & Bath in downtown Pawhuska | Osage News

https://www.facebook.com/historicwhi...ref=ts&fref=ts

The 5-story Triangle Building and the 5-story Duncan Hotel are supposedly going to be rennovated in the near future. Most of the Duncan Hotel burned down in the 1980s I think. The new portion of the hotel survived the fire (New being 1930s). The two banks that are five stories are still offices. The one you have in a picture would be a great hotel and the other is still a bank.

[Money Shot]

Darn near every small town in Oklahoma looks like this, it's really something to see up close and in person.

[RadicalModerate]

As I said at the top . . . No dissin' of Pawhuska was implied nor intended.
Pawhuska could easily be The Eureka Springs of Oklahoma, with just a little bit of imagination and a pile of cash.

Personally . . . I thought it had a good vibe.
Even if it looked like a ghost town. (It was pretty early in the morning, maybe about 10:00)

Just for the sake of clarification . . .

This used to be a bank. Now it is a Human Services Center. If you look closely, down to the lower-left-center of the shot you will see something on the wall of the building. It is the original "Robbery Alarm". I would have crossed the street to take a close up, but I didn't want to interfere with traffic.


Just down . . . or up . . . the street, depending upon your perspective, is a lasting tribute to the fact that Pawhuska appreciates diversity.


If we hadn't already enjoyed breakfast, at the place at which we accidentally stayed, in Bartlesville, and if it had been lunchtime, and if this place had been open, I would have picked it over Townmaker Cafe. And I'm not joking. (in reality, we probably would have had a taste of what both places had to offer. =)


Yes . . . There are many good stories to be told about Pawhuska.
And, hopefully, many, many more to come.

[Urbanized]

I was excited for the state when she got her show on cable... ...until she made it through the entire first episode without mentioning the word "Oklahoma" in either dialogue, narration or visual cue. I've not watched a single installment since.

[traxx]

I was excited for the state when she got her show on cable... ...until she made it through the entire first episode without mentioning the word "Oklahoma" in either dialogue, narration or visual cue. I've not watched a single installment since.

I don't watch her all the time but I've seen serveral episodes. She often mentions Pawhuska and Oklahoma. I really enjoy her show, it's well done. And I don't mean well done for Oklahoma, I mean that I like the visual style and I like her style. She's different. Not every cooking show needs to be, or should be, a fancy chef type show talking about dishes no average person would attempt or with some British guy cussing at everyone.

[AP]

I don't watch her all the time but I've seen serveral episodes. She often mentions Pawhuska and Oklahoma. I really enjoy her show, it's well done. And I don't mean well done for Oklahoma, I mean that I like the visual style and I like her style. She's different. Not every cooking show needs to be, or should be, a fancy chef type show talking about dishes no average person would attempt or with some British guy cussing at everyone.

My girlfriend loves PW. Reads her blog, has all her cook books and frequently watches the show. I know she has definitely mentioned OK and Pawhuska several times. I really love her recipes, and my gf executes them pretty well.

[RadicalModerate]

My girlfriend loves PW. Reads her blog, has all her cook books and frequently watches the show. I know she has definitely mentioned OK and Pawhuska several times. I really love her recipes, and my gf executes them pretty well.

I think that's called Sharing the Wealth/Giving Back to The Community. =)

[Dubya61]

Ree "The Pioneer Woman" Drummond lives and thrives midway between Pawhuska and Ponca City. The downside is that the drive is a lot flatter and more boring.

I grew up in Ponca City and my family was very active in scouting (BSA, in this case). We made frequent trips to the Will Rogers Scout Reservation just east of Cleveland. That often included State Highway 15 from US Hwy 177 (near Sooner Lake) to OK Hwy 18 and then on east. Sometimes, for a change of scenery, we'd go through Pawhuska. Being the youngest of a large family, I never got the window ... except on that drive. ODOT made NO attempt to flatten out the hills on OK Hwy 15 and being prone to motion sickness, I commanded a window seat. I never preferred going through Pawhuska. That would mean being relegated to the "rumble" seat in the back of the station wagon.

Just in case you didn't get it, I'm a big fan of Ree Drummond. She ain't Emeril or Jacques P but she ain't no slouch in terms of Culinary Art Quality (and all the rest related thereto. =)

So . . . Is Ree Drummond related to the family? =)

The family Ree Drummond married into is a big deal in NE OK. I know a few Drummonds and they're good folk, in my opinion.

I was excited for the state when she got her show on cable... ...until she made it through the entire first episode without mentioning the word "Oklahoma" in either dialogue, narration or visual cue. I've not watched a single installment since.

I enjoy watching her show. The cooking style appeals to me. I've never noticed that she doesn't mention Oklahoma much. I guess I just assumed it. In fact, I initially assumed she was based out of Ponca City due to the Pioneer Woman statue that all of we Ponca Citians assume is high art and recognized world-wide.
Attachment 7728
It's immature, I know, but ...
If viewed from the right (or wrong) perspective, the boy becomes obscured and the woman appears to be anatomically incorrect.
Attachment 7729
Oh, the shame of Ponca City.

[RadicalModerate]

I grew up in Ponca City and my family was very active in scouting (BSA, in this case). We made frequent trips to the Will Rogers Scout Reservation just east of Cleveland.

We drove up to Bartlesville via Old 66 and Highway 99. It took us through lots of small towns (up close and personal) including Cleveland. Cleveland seemed to be one of the few towns that was doing well. North of Hominy, we cut back to Barnsdall (and it seems to be doing OK too). Our real destination was Woolaroc. That is one place not to be missed. It is amazing. The art collection there is beyond description and the setting is spectacular and peaceful at the same time. After spending the entire afternoon there, we went up to Bartlesville, visited Price Tower, had a nice cocktail at Copper (on the 15th Floor--two floors from the top) then had a wonderful dinner at Frank and Lola's, just a little north and east of Frank Lloyd Wright's contribution to local culture. We saw an impromptu Classic Auto Show at our hotel and the next morning swung by Frank Phillip's Mansion. Bartlesville was, quite Frankly, extraordinary, yet I still appreciated what Pawhuska had to offer.

It was like packing 6 months of experiences into a day and a half. =)

Please don't misinterpret any of that as not loving what has been done with OKC over the last couple of decades.

[rezman]

RadMod, thanks for the tour. Great pics by the way. I love taking slow trips through old towns. Though I've been to Bartlesville numerous times, I can't say I've ever been to Pawhuska. Therefore, I'm putting it on my list of places to go see when me and the Mrs. take a drive.

[RadicalModerate]

Sorry to drift off topic--Pawhuska Art and Entertainment--but blame it on rezman. =)

Woolaroc, Introduction To (and the reason for the signs telling you to stay in your car. Note the lack of colorful paint on this, the mascot of where I went to college a lifetime ago. =)


Zen Pond at Low Water Bridge (not sure of the official name)


Ancient Oil Baron's Country Estate


A Bird in a Cage (Actually more of a huge, native stone museum than a cage. I didn't see a landing strip, so I doubt Mr. Phillips ever flew in on this.)


"Hello, Frank Lloyd Wright" . . .


I always liked Geometry


A Room With a View (actually, a cantelievered balcony, one floor up, via some non-code compliant, winding stairs, from the Copper Bar and Grill on the 15th Floor).


Automobile Alley, Bartlesville (actually, rear parking lot of the hotel we booked into at the last minute/why we almost didn't get a room =)




Plymouth Rocks.


The Woolaroc Dude's City Digs


Please Be Advised =)

[traxx]

Rad, you said in your OP that Pawhuska was like Guthrie except older and more authentic. I'm not from Guthrie, have never lived there so I don't have a dog in the fight so to speak, but I was wondering what you considered inauthentic about Guthrie.

[RadicalModerate]

Rad, you said in your OP that Pawhuska was like Guthrie except older and more authentic. I'm not from Guthrie, have never lived there so I don't have a dog in the fight so to speak, but I was wondering what you considered inauthentic about Guthrie.

Guthrie covered up all the Historical Stuff (architecture-wise) with that chintzy-Sixties Moderne crapola siding to bring one of the town's Main Streets up to date. Then they removed it. Except, as I recall, one stubborn drugstore owner downtown. And it is his right to be stubborn and struck in the past. =)

[Just the facts]

So what happened to Pawhuska? Wal-Mart happened to them. In the case of Pawhuska they were killed twice. First Wal-Mart built on the western edge of town and killed their local business community and left a vacant downtown - then Wal-Mart left town themselves. Somewhere you can probably find a newspaper quote from the local mayor touting the 300 jobs and the sales tax revenue and don't be surprised if the local population didn't kick a few million dollars to do this to themselves.

When Wal-Mart Pulls Out, What's Left? - NYTimes.com

THIS is a city that Wal-Mart ditched.

Hundreds of communities have wrestled with Wal-Mart coming to town as it raced across rural America to become the nation's biggest retailer. For years, the script has been familiar. Wal-Mart arrives in a city creating both excitement and trepidation, a sign of a community's stature but a threat to its local shopkeepers. Small stores often shut down, unable to match the big chain's prices. Across the country, town after town has struck the same bargain by embracing the retailing juggernaut: the downtown is Wal-Mart.

For Nowata, like three other communities in northeastern Oklahoma and a small but growing number of towns elsewhere, it has proved a risky bargain. When Wal-Mart pulls up and departs, it leaves both a hole in the old downtown and a gash across the entire local economy

Sprawl-Busters Newsflash Blog - Anti-Sprawl news since 1998.

They call them "the towns that Wal-Mart killed twice." When Wal-Mart arrives in a small town, it often shows up with its suitcase already packed. On the way in, Wal-Mart destroys smaller competing merchants, and then, when corporate headquarters decides its time to pull out, the damage occurs all over again as the dependent community loses its anchor retailer.

Articles have been written about communities like Hearne, Texas, or Nowata, Bixby and Pawhuska, Oklahoma -- all communities that had a Wal-Mart discount store, but lost it when the retailer shut their store down to build a bigger venue just down the road.

Anyhow, the pictures of Pawhuska were very cool but it makes me sad.

[RadicalModerate]

So what happened to Pawhuska? Wal-Mart happened to them. In the case of Pawhuska they were killed twice. First Wal-Mart built on the western edge of town and killed their local business community and left a vacant downtown - then Wal-Mart left town themselves. Somewhere you can probably find a newspaper quote from the local mayor touting the 300 jobs and the sales tax revenue and don't be surprised if the local population didn't kick a few million dollars to do this to themselves.

When Wal-Mart Pulls Out, What's Left? - NYTimes.com



Sprawl-Busters Newsflash Blog - Anti-Sprawl news since 1998.



Anyhow, the pictures of Pawhuska were very cool but it makes me sad.

Is it possible that it wasn't "Walmart" that "killed" Pawhuska, but rather, the indigenous mindset of the inhabitants of Pawhuska (and every other geographical location in the known world) who gravitated to Walmart =) Sorry . . . That's one of those Cause/Effect, Chicken/Egg, ZenEscherianConundrum's to which there is no Right nor Left answer. Ain't it? =)

(and that from a guy who doesn't even like to drive into a Walmart Parking Lot. nor even drive by one. =)

p.s.: We drove by this spot at exactly 65 mph from Pawhuska to Ponca City. The folks in the driveway didn't even wave. =)


What was really interesting about that shot was how the sign sort of floated there in space without any vertical support structure.

[Bunty]

So what happened to Pawhuska? Wal-Mart happened to them. In the case of Pawhuska they were killed twice. First Wal-Mart built on the western edge of town and killed their local business community and left a vacant downtown - then Wal-Mart left town themselves. Somewhere you can probably find a newspaper quote from the local mayor touting the 300 jobs and the sales tax revenue and don't be surprised if the local population didn't kick a few million dollars to do this to themselves.

That part of the state probably didn't have enough population, or strong enough economy to support Wal-Mart. Contrast that to Stillwater, which loves Wal-Mart so much another one had to be built. After the new one opened, the Wal-Mart in Perry 25 miles away didn't see fit to close. The Wal-Mart in Cushing, also 25 miles away, saw fit to build a new super center on the west edge of town. Cushing's downtown is in rather, dull, runned down shape, though, as pictured. But several huge murals downtown are impressive.

[RadicalModerate]

That part of the state probably didn't have enough population, or strong enough economy to support Wal-Mart. Contrast that to Stillwater, which loves Wal-Mart so much another one had to be built. After the new one opened, the Wal-Mart in Perry 25 miles away didn't see fit to close. The Wal-Mart in Cushing, also 25 miles away, saw fit to build a new super center on the west edge of town. Cushing's downtown is in rather, dull, runned down shape, though, as pictured. But several huge murals downtown are impressive.

I've been through Cushing, once, but what caught my eye--on that trip--wasn't so much the murals on the buildings. Rather, it was that "Welcome to Cushing" Pipeline "Sign" across from The Ruins of The Hudson Refinery of Yesteryear.

If you go up Highway 99 (from 66), it connects with "Cushing's Main Street" just west of the center of Drumright (and then you have to go north) prior to re-experiencing what I thought was the little town with the cool building murals (Drumright). Driving up 99, south of Cushing/Drumright, looking back to the west, I was amazed at the array of Oil Storage Tanks, stretching apparently for miles and miles, south of Cushing proper. Truly amazed, but driving and not taking pictures, so they were far off, on a horizon maybe ten miles away. =)