Oklahoma City was founded by hard-working men and women when this land was opened for settlement on April 22, 1889. The land run spanned 400 acres and became home to 5,000 people overnight.
In the days after the land run, two townsite companies laid claim to various plots of land, each making their own map. On Tuesday, April 23 a mass meeting was held and a committee of people was chosen by nomination to reconcile the opposing outlines of the newest city in the old west. Each committee member came from a different state in an effort to form an impartial group.
These are 9 of the 14 members of the “citizens committee” tasked with mapping the streets and alleyways of America’s newest city. LtoR Charles W. Price, Colorado; W.H. Ebey, Kansas; John A. Blackburn, Missouri; A.L. Meudlick, Wisconsin; Angelo C. Scott, Kansas; Oscar H. Violet, California; M.U. Barney, Illinois; J.B. Wheeler, Michigan; B.N. Woodson, Texas.
On March 23, 1889 President Benjamin Harrison issued a proclamation that opened the Unassigned Lands to settlement, an area that would later become the first six counties in central Oklahoma. The proclamation did not include authorization to form a territorial government, but that did not stop citizens from organizing and holding an election in the dusty streets 10 days after the land run. An election was held on May 1, 1889 to select a Mayor and City Officers. Two wards were established, each with a polling place where male residents over age 18 could cast their votes.
View of Oklahoma City after three weeks growth, May 1889
On May 2, 1890 Congress formally established boundaries and a government for the Oklahoma Territory, outlining the six original counties, each named County 1 - County 6. Oklahoma City was the seat of County 2, an area with roughly the same boundaries as present day Oklahoma County. On July 15, 1890 commissioners of County 2 incorporated the Village of Oklahoma City as a tract of 400 acres and appointed a Board of Trustees: David W. Gibbs, T.J. Watson, Nelson Button, Sam Frist, and Henry Overholser. At the first meeting the city was divided into four wards and an election was called for August 9, 1890. Each ward had two representatives, one serving a single year and the other serving two.
The first meeting of the Oklahoma City Council was held on July 22, 1890 and was led by the Board of Trustees who organized the first official election for the City.
The first elected officials in Oklahoma City:
| Mayor |
William J. Gault |
| Police Judge |
W.W. Witten |
| City Clerk |
Tazwell M. Upshaw |
| City Treasurer |
M.S. Miller |
| City Engineer |
P.S. Burns |
| Council Ward 1 |
C.A. Peyton, J.R. Barrows |
| Council Ward 2 |
J.W. Bales, J.A. Ryan |
| Council Ward 3 |
John C. Romick, F.V. Brandon |
| Council Ward 4 |
John Brogan, N.N. Miller |
In the next 20 years, the population of Oklahoma City grew to over 64,000 people. On October 8, 1910 two land owning citizens from each ward were elected to prepare and propose a City Charter. Five months later, in March 1911, the first City Charter was approved by Oklahoma City voters and Oklahoma Governor Lee Cruce. Oklahoma City continued to grow by leaps and bounds. Changes to the City Charter were approved by voters again on November 2, 1926. The population of Oklahoma City was 91,000 in 1920 and 185,000 in 1930, a 100% increase in ten years time. The office of City Manager was created and the new Council - Manager form of government that began in 1926 remains in effect today.
The City Planning Commission issued a comprehensive plan in 1949, estimating the population growth would continue to increase exponentially, and they were right.
This page from the 1949 City Plan shows the changes in the area of the City from 1893-1944.
The population in 1950 increased almost 20% from the decade before, bringing the post-war population over 240,000.
The success of business and industry in Oklahoma City was due in large part to the partnership of the Chamber of Commerce and City government officials. The development of a meat packing district was a natural fit for Oklahoma City, as the western boundaries came to include what was known as Packingtown in 1910. Today, we know it as the Stockyard City.
The discovery of oil within the city limits in 1928 brought a boom of investors and launched the energy industry which continues to sustain jobs and feed the economy of Oklahoma City in the 21st century.
Oklahoma City is the seat of government for the state and the county, and continues to foster innovative business ventures in health care, aviation, agriculture, and manufacturing.
City Hall opened for business in March 1937. Also called the Municipal Building, City Hall was one of four structures built with matching funds from a U.S. Public Works Administration grant. The other three buildings are the Oklahoma County Courthouse, the Municipal Auditorium (now the Civic Center Music Hall), and the Police Headquarters (now non-operational). This group of buildings was commonly known as the Civic Center, being the home of local government and the arts. In 1927, residents voted to remove a track of railroad between Park and Robert S. Kerr Avenues and purchase the land for public use. PWA Project #Oklahoma 1005-R was underway in 1932.
City Hall’s Art Deco style has Classical Revival motifs, a combination of styles commonly referred to as “PWA Deco” because of its widespread use during the Great Depression in the 1930s. The concrete foundation supports the exterior walls of Bedford limestone. The interior is lined with seven different types of marble, and the floor is Montana travertine and terrazzo. The inlayed travertine and marble compass in the lobby shows the elevation of Oklahoma City at 1,200 feet above sea level. The light fixtures are original, as are the aluminum grills and doors.
Renovation
Until the 1990s, City Hall housed offices that are now located throughout three downtown office buildings. This changed during a massive interior renovation from 1995 to 1998 based on plans drawn up by architect Rand Elliott. City Hall remained open throughout the floor-by-floor renovation process, and many offices were moved to their current locations at 420 W Main St. and 100 N Walker Ave. During that time, City Council met in the basement of the Civic Center Music Hall.
The council chamber is on the third floor with original wooden pews furnished in 1937. The chamber is used by the City Council and for many other public meetings, including the Airport Trust, Water Utilities Trust, Planning Commission, Historic Preservation Commission, OCMAPS Trust and the MAPS 3 Citizens Advisory Board.
Currently, City Hall houses the offices of the Mayor, City Council, City Manager, Municipal Counselor, City Clerk, City Auditor and Public Information and Marketing, as well as the Action Center and the City Print Shop. City Hall also contains a broadcast control room for City Channel 20, the City's government access cable channel.
City Hall was added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 5, 2007.