Pavilion Springs, Hillside Spring, Headquarters and Maintenance Area: Cultural Landscape Inventory, Chickasaw National Recreation Area - Travertine District, National Park Service

Hohmann, Heidi; Grala, Katarzyna; Curran, Michele

The Pavilion Springs, Hillside Springs, Headquarters, and Maintenance Area landscape is located in the central portion of the Platt Historic District in the Chickasaw National Recreation Area, Murray County, Oklahoma. The area is divided into two parts by Hwy 177, with the Pavilion Springs and Residence #2 located on the eastern side of the road and Hillside Springs, Headquarters and Maintenance located on the western side of the road. The Antelope and Buffalo Springs, Buffalo Pasture, Bromide Hill Trails access the landscape. The area encompassed by Pavilion Springs/ Hillside Springs/ Headquarters and Maintenance covers approximately 48 acres. The separate areas of this component landscape, though located in close proximity, each have their own features and functions. Pavilion Springs and Hillside Springs are pedestrian environments focused on using and enjoying the park’s mineral waters. A residential structure located near Pavilion Springs also provides housing for park staff. Headquarters, earlier known as the Leeper House, is the administrative heart of the park. The building, however, was one of the first buildings built in Sulphur Springs, and has great historic significance beyond its almost 100 years as a park administrative building. The building is now used as a learning center. The Maintenance Area was designed by the NPS and constructed by CCC crews and historically and currently served as the locus of park maintenance and construction work. This quadrangle is located to the west of the Headquarters building and is well hidden from the view by park users both by its tucked away location and vegetative buffers planted by CCC crews. Pavilion Springs, Hillside Springs, Headquarters, and Maintenance Area landscape is significant for its location within the Platt Historic District. The Platt Historic District is significant for its association with the development of National Park landscapes completed during the depression and funded as part of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s “New Deal” programs. The district is also significant as embodying the characteristics of the type, period, and methods of construction typical of the “rustic style” of park design developed by the National Park Service in the years between World War I and World War II (1916 1942) under the leadership of Thomas Vint. In general terms, “rustic” park design limited development to preserve natural scenery and designed buildings and structures in keeping and in harmony with the natural landscape. This meant using hand craftsmanship, local architectural styles and natural materials such as stone, wood and native plants in the design of each park structure or element. The Pavilion Springs, Hillside Springs, Headquarters and Maintenance Area component landscape comprise one component of this larger significant district landscape, and as such, contribute to the significance of the entire district. Although the area contains features dating to before 1930, the large majority of this component landscape was constructed in the 1930s by CCC crews. In its site planning, architectural style, landscape architectural design and small scale features, the Pavilion Springs, Hillside Springs, Headquarters and Maintenance area component landscape area explicitly reflects the NPS principles of rustic design and construction. The buildings of the Maintenance Area and the two spring complexes are both excellent examples of the CCC era landscape design projects undertaken in Platt National Park and throughout the country. In addition, the Administration building reflects earlier park usage and early settlement of the area. Because of these elements, this individual landscape contributes to the significance of the overall district and enables the district to convey its significance. Losses to the area have been few and because this component landscape exists in a predominantly intact state, it contributes to the integrity of the overall district.

Pavilion Springs, Hillside Spring, Headquarters and Maintenance Area: Cultural Landscape Inventory, Chickasaw National Recreation Area - Travertine District, National Park Service

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