Oklahoma Architectural Genius: Solomon Layton (1864-1943)
This Iowa-born architectural dynamo left a lasting imprint on the culture, geography, and history of Oklahoma. Layton and his partners designed at least 16 county courthouses across the state; forty-six Oklahoma City public schools (including the first five high schools and six junior highs); anchor structures at the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma City University; a constellation of office buildings, hospitals, and prisons; and the state capitol building.
Twenty-two of his and his partners’ buildings carry National Register of Historic Places designations. The sturdiness of their work reemerged more than half a century after Layton’s death, when eleven of their downtown OKC buildings remained structurally sound despite sustaining damage from the 1995 bombing of the nearby Murrah Federal Building.
The above article is a bonus to the fascinating historical content found within our book
Oklahomans Vol 2 :
Statehood - 2020s
which can be purchased HERE.
View the inspiring 2-minute preview video HERE.
