Dawson Park Schoolhouse

[PonderInc]

Spent Saturday exploring north Tulsa neighborhoods.  (It started as a trip to Dawson Salvage, but they were closed on weekends.)  One of the coolest finds was the old Dawson schoolhouse, built in 1908.  (Corner of East Ute Place and N. Kingston Place)


It looks like it was used as a city park building/community center, but it's basically boarded up now.  A quick Google search indicates that the city wanted to tear this down a few years ago.  (Crazy!)

Don't know what's worse: that the city wanted/wants to tear this building down (it's listed on the National Register); or that we don't have a viable park in this neighborhood (or many others!).  To me, one of the easiest and most transformative things we could do for Tulsa's under-served neighborhoods would be to have fully funded/staffed parks and community centers offering a rich variety of programming to meet the community's needs.  

Instead we under-fund them, close them and spend our money on...what?  Wider streets in south Tulsa? Unnecessary expressway expansions?

[patric]

Instead we under-fund them, close them and spend our money on...what?  Wider streets in south Tulsa? Unnecessary expressway expansions?

Hey, there's still some barren stretches of north Tulsa roads that need continuous streetlighting...  
http://tinyurl.com/kj267kw

[TheArtist]

Spent Saturday exploring north Tulsa neighborhoods.  (It started as a trip to Dawson Salvage, but they were closed on weekends.)  One of the coolest finds was the old Dawson schoolhouse, built in 1908.  (Corner of East Ute Place and N. Kingston Place)


It looks like it was used as a city park building/community center, but it's basically boarded up now.  A quick Google search indicates that the city wanted to tear this down a few years ago.  (Crazy!)

Don't know what's worse: that the city wanted/wants to tear this building down (it's listed on the National Register); or that we don't have a viable park in this neighborhood (or many others!).  To me, one of the easiest and most transformative things we could do for Tulsa's under-served neighborhoods would be to have fully funded/staffed parks and community centers offering a rich variety of programming to meet the community's needs.  

Instead we under-fund them, close them and spend our money on...what?  Wider streets in south Tulsa? Unnecessary expressway expansions?

Great find.  Don't think I have ever seen that building.

[guido911]

Spent Saturday exploring north Tulsa neighborhoods.  (It started as a trip to Dawson Salvage, but they were closed on weekends.)  One of the coolest finds was the old Dawson schoolhouse, built in 1908.  (Corner of East Ute Place and N. Kingston Place)


It looks like it was used as a city park building/community center, but it's basically boarded up now.  A quick Google search indicates that the city wanted to tear this down a few years ago.  (Crazy!)

Don't know what's worse: that the city wanted/wants to tear this building down (it's listed on the National Register); or that we don't have a viable park in this neighborhood (or many others!).  To me, one of the easiest and most transformative things we could do for Tulsa's under-served neighborhoods would be to have fully funded/staffed parks and community centers offering a rich variety of programming to meet the community's needs.  

Instead we under-fund them, close them and spend our money on...what?  Wider streets in south Tulsa? Unnecessary expressway expansions?

Kinda on the older side. Not really my type of building.

[aa5drvr]

I recently spent a quite a bit of  time in a small town in Iowa. The state legislature is offering tax breaks for individuals who purchase old schools (typically small towns), and convert them to a personal residence, business, etc.
One fellow purchased the town school property (Elementary through HS), and turned the gym into a 24 hour fitness facility.  Wierd, but fitness facilities thrive in small towns in Iowa as do small bowling alleys, probably owing to the long winters.  I didnt notice as many people fitting the "People of Wal-Mart" profile in Iowa as compared to the Sooner State.