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| Oklahoma Historical Preservation Office | |
|---|---|
| Name | Oklahoma Historical Preservation Office |
| Formed | 1967 |
| Jurisdiction | State of Oklahoma |
| Headquarters | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma |
| Parentagency | Oklahoma Historical Society |
Oklahoma Historical Preservation Office is the state agency responsible for identifying, documenting, and protecting historic resources in Oklahoma, administering federal and state preservation programs and coordinating with local, tribal, and national institutions. It conducts surveys, maintains the state historic register, reviews undertakings under federal law, and distributes grant funding while working with partners such as the Oklahoma Historical Society, National Park Service, National Trust for Historic Preservation, and Tribal Historic Preservation Offices. The office's activities intersect with major subjects including the National Register of Historic Places, the National Historic Preservation Act, and a range of cultural landmarks across Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Oklahoma, and the state's Native Nations.
The office traces its roots to mid‑20th century preservation movements influenced by the passage of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 and the rise of state programs after coordination with the National Park Service, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, and universities such as University of Oklahoma. Early initiatives aligned with preservation efforts in cities like Tulsa, Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, and communities connected to tribal treaties like the Treaty of Fort Gibson, and with events such as the preservation responses to dam projects on the Arkansas River and the Canadian River. Over decades the office collaborated with federal agencies including the Federal Highway Administration and the Bureau of Reclamation on Section 106 consultations, worked alongside organizations such as the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the Historic American Buildings Survey, and adapted to legislation like the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act.
The office operates under mandates derived from the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 and state statutes enacted by the Oklahoma Legislature, coordinating with the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation and implementing regulations of the National Park Service. It serves as the State Historic Preservation Office for obligations that include National Register nominations, tax incentive consultations tied to the Tax Reform Act mechanisms, and compliance with federal undertakings under the Section 106 process used by agencies such as the Federal Highway Administration, Army Corps of Engineers, and the Environmental Protection Agency. The office also interacts with tribal sovereignty instruments including agreements with the Choctaw Nation, Cherokee Nation, Chickasaw Nation, and other federally recognized tribes concerning cultural property, historic cemeteries, and repatriation issues under laws like the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act.
The office's divisions mirror functions common to State Historic Preservation Offices, encompassing survey and inventory, National Register nominations, review and compliance, archaeology, and grants administration. Staff collaborate with institutions including the Oklahoma Historical Society, the Oklahoma Department of Transportation, the National Park Service, universities such as the Oklahoma State University and University of Tulsa, and nonprofit partners like the Preservation Oklahoma and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Specialized programs address outreach to municipal entities like Tulsa, Oklahoma and Norman, Oklahoma, coordinate with federal entities such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency on disaster recovery for historic sites, and manage partnerships with tribal preservation offices including the Osage Nation and Seminole Nation of Oklahoma.
The office documents and helps preserve a wide array of resources listed on the National Register of Historic Places across Oklahoma, from urban districts in Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Oklahoma to rural sites tied to the Santa Fe Trail and the Trail of Tears routes. Notable categories include historic courthouses, Route 66 landmarks, WPA-era buildings associated with the Works Progress Administration, oil industry architecture connected to companies such as Phillips Petroleum Company and Continental Oil Company, and tribal cultural landscapes related to the Cherokee Nation and Muscogee (Creek) Nation. The office also oversees documentation of archaeological sites tied to cultures represented in collections at institutions like the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History.
The office administers grant programs funded through partnerships with the National Park Service's Historic Preservation Fund, state appropriations from the Oklahoma Legislature, and tax credit programs that interact with the Internal Revenue Service historic rehabilitation tax credit procedures. Grant recipients have included municipalities such as Enid, Oklahoma and Shawnee, Oklahoma, nonprofit organizations like the National Trust for Historic Preservation, tribal governments including the Cherokee Nation, and educational institutions such as the University of Oklahoma for adaptive reuse, survey, and stewardship projects. Funding mechanisms align with federal program rules administered by the National Park Service and oversight policies from the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation.
Archaeological review and cultural resource management are central functions, coordinating with agencies like the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Bureau of Land Management, and the Federal Highway Administration for projects affecting prehistoric and historic sites. The office collaborates with tribal cultural programs from the Choctaw Nation, Cherokee Nation, Muscogee (Creek) Nation, and Osage Nation on fieldwork, curation, and repatriation consistent with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act and standards set by the Society for American Archaeology. Collections are documented to standards used by museums such as the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History and the Oklahoma History Center.
Public programming includes workshops, preservation tax credit guidance, technical assistance, and partnerships with educational institutions like the University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma State University, and local historical societies such as the Oklahoma Historical Society and Preservation Oklahoma. Collaborative initiatives have engaged the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the National Park Service, municipalities including Tulsa, Oklahoma and Oklahoma City, and tribal education programs of the Cherokee Nation and Chickasaw Nation to promote heritage tourism, Route 66 interpretation, and preservation workforce development. The office's outreach supports stewardship of sites linked to events such as the Trail of Tears and infrastructure themes like the Santa Fe Trail corridors.
Category:Historic preservation in Oklahoma Category:State Historic Preservation Offices of the United States