CHARLIE MIKE

The Air Force Monument, sculpted by Leonard McMurry [1913-2008] and dedicated in 1964, stands at the east end of Kerr Park, about 40 feet from the sidewalk, shrouded by evergreen trees. Another McMurry bronze, "The 89er," is located at the west end of the block, and both sculptures align roughly along the former Rock Island railroad bed. While both pieces reference the 1889 land run, the Air Force Monument does so more subtly by containing a time capsule to be opened in 2089, marking the 200th anniversary of the event.

This monument, over fifty years old, exemplifies midcentury modern optimism and artistic excellence. The State Historic Preservation Office has given it a preliminary determination of eligibility for the National Register of Historic Places, the first step towards formal recognition.

Listing the Air Force Monument on the National Register not only bestows recognition but also provides a valuable research tool for future scholarly work. More importantly, it opens up funding opportunities, such as the National Park Services' "Save America’s Treasures" grant, which can match $125,000 in non-federal funds for preservation projects.

The proposal, titled “Charlie Mike” – NATO phonetic code for "CONTINUE MISSION" – embodies the discipline to persevere despite challenges. The goal is to honor Leonard McMurry’s vision, ensuring that his depiction of Cadet Wayne Baughman reaches the 2089 milestone as intended, with its 1964 messages and all its mid-century modern optimism intact.

The proposal aims to REPAIR where practical, using stainless steel for interventions or as accents, helping visitors distinguish between original 1964 elements and subsequent modifications. Approximately twenty granite slabs on the obelisk need to be re-secured, with new sealant applied to all joints. The granite at the base, in the worst condition, will be wholly replaced with stainless steel cladding. The historic dedication panels will be re-installed on stainless steel "easels," preserving their original positions while making their origin clear to visitors. The two dedication panels currently on the monument’s south side will be moved to the east edge of the site, joined by a new dedication easel, designed to draw attention from sidewalk passersby. A new sidewalk, aligned with Cadet Baughman’s gesture, will open the view to the monument and include a plaque of the moon, to scale in size and distance from Earth as depicted in McMurry’s sculpture. Optional stainless steel benches, resembling high-altitude craft, will accentuate this new axis of the space realm and acknowledge the Air Force’s present day realm as one that includes space.

 The Rock House of Harrah, Oklahoma

Rock House - Nomination tot the National Register

The Rock House was designed and built by owner Frank Primm for himself and his wife Lillian. The story of Harrah’s settlement and the owner’s employment at OG&E combine beautifully with national historic trends of expanding infrastructure and presents itself as a lovely work of outsider architecture. The home itself stands out for its historic integrity, distinctive design, and workmanship.

The home is a hyper-localized adaptation of the 20th century Tudor Revival style. Situated in a low-density, mixed-use neighborhood in Harrah, Oklahoma, the property features several harmoniously developed contributing resources. These include the Rock House itself, the Site, a Garage Apartment, Lake, and Rock Garden. Non-contributing elements include a replacement Windmill and the Uhland Monument.

Beyond the project’s eligibility, the story of Frank Primm is just as interesting – after losing significant weight, Primm was warned by his doctor to take up some kind of physical activity or face grave consequences. The physical activity that he chose for himself was to build this house, first building the guest apartment in 1930, then collecting free local rock and developing the site until 1939. Then he turned to building the main house, which was complete enough to inhabit by 1942. The Primm family’s time there unfortunately ended in 1953 when Frank was disabled in an automobile accident, forcing the family to sell the house.

In 2023, höffnerdesignstudio and project partner Kelsee Watts were awarded a project to prepare a nomination to the National Register for this very unique historic resource. In early 2024, we submitted our work to Oklahoma State Historic Preservation Office and anticipate inclusion on the National Register.

MAP Room

MAP Room is a höffnerdesignstudio interiors project in Solomon Andrew Layton’s 1923 Masonic Temple in Oklahoma City. Meet, Act and Part are represented by level, plumb, and square in Masonic symbolism. The use of vintage tools as art summons the iconic building's beginnings as a Masonic Temple.

The building owner wanted us to reimagine the space as a “secret” shared conference room with a speakeasy vibe. We took this opportunity to tie the space to the building’s origins - the forgotten history of the Masonic Temple. Alongside the entry procession, historic photos with didactics by a Masonic scholar tell the earliest part of the buildings history. Meanwhile, straight ahead, vintage tools lit as art establish a mysterious presence on a backdrop of salvaged limestone.

A standard stave core door was skinned with sheet metal and channel battens. Leather wrapped push paddle and vertical pull were purpose made for the project. Limestone salvaged from previous work to building exterior was re-purposed as a wall finish. Metal wing-walls and tile backslash resolve details around the millwork, and fabric wrapped acoustical wall panels resolve the reverberation problem in the space.

North

A dilapidated garage apartment was reimagined as an artist’s retreat. An exemplary exterior restoration was done to Oklahoma City Historic Preservation ordinance standards, so much so that it was accomplished with administrative approval. The interior was completely reconfigured as a minimalist environment where the owner or her guests can find inner focus and peace.

Washita Theater

A 1946 single screen theater was rescued from shambles after the City of Cordell noticed a small tree growing in the roof. Research turned up photographs, original architect’s drawings and included on-site investigation to faithfully restore the building to its former glory while sensitively updating accessibility and a THX level theater experience.

Oklahoma Heritage Museum

At Oklahoma Heritage Museum, a code compliant exit stair is carefully inserted in the place of offices stacked in plan. This was necessary in order for the building to transition from a Business occupancy to an Assembly occupancy. The unfinished mill steel is detailed in a way that helps with an understanding that it is an intervention. Besides all the new structure being mill steel, cover plates over voids in the wall are the same material, making it easy to understand them as part of the modification. New saw cuts and original materials are left “as-is” to maintain an intuitive understanding about what has taken place to adapt the space to the necessity of the stair. Later, thoughts such as these have developed into the concept of “Informative Conservation,” which is Michael Höffner’s current area of interest and research.