It really is a breathtaking building on the inside ,” Arata said . “ You can tell it was constructed with a lot of care and a lot of attention to detail for that time period .
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BOOKER T . WASHINGTON SCHOOL / STILLWATER c . 1940
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It really is a breathtaking building on the inside ,” Arata said . “ You can tell it was constructed with a lot of care and a lot of attention to detail for that time period .
again and again – it ’ s special because they built it with their own hands ,” Arata said . “ It was built by that community for that community .”
PRESERVING THE PAST
Look up at the ceiling in the gymnasium at the Washington School , and you ’ ll see a beautiful domed ceiling made of redwood .
“ Redwood is not exactly a common building material and it ’ s an expensive building material ,” Arata said . The structure itself is in good shape . “ The building itself does tell a story ,” Arata said . “ The ceiling in that gymnasium is holding up so well for not having had anybody care about it for years and years and years .”
During the pandemic , she had more time on her hands and began researching the school ’ s history . She would sometimes walk around the building , and finding loose plywood , sneak into the gym and look around .
“ It really is a breathtaking building on the inside ,” Arata said . “ You can tell it was constructed with a lot of care and a lot of attention to detail for that time period .”
At OSU , Arata specializes in public history and the history of race and gender in the American West .
In 2020 , she went to the engineering department at OSU and collaborated with professors about a class project . Some of her history students who were interested in preservation teamed up with engineering students .
SURVEYING THE DAMAGE
In March 2021 , Arata led a group of engineers and public history students through Washington School to assess the building ’ s condition . She submitted an application that helped get the building on the list of Most Endangered Places , a designation meant to raise awareness of historic structures in need of preservation .
“ It was so exciting to find out that the building was in much better shape than we had been led to believe or then we ’ d anticipated ,” Arata said . “ That was the first moment of hope that maybe we really could save this .”
In late 2011 , a developer asked the Stillwater City Council to rezone the property from public use to office use , with plans to demolish the existing school building and build an office complex .
In 2012 , the City Council agreed after the developer offered to donate bricks from the building and give $ 2,000 along with a space on the property to build a memorial to Washington School , but that project ultimately stalled .
The City of Stillwater finalized the purchase
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