Dairy Palace
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Oklahoma A&M College Dairy Barn
1948, Paul Harris. 2624 W. McElroy Rd.
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(Courtesy of the Oklahoma State Historic Preservation Office)
Oklahoma Agriculture and Mechanical (A&M) College Dairy Barn spans over 40,000 square feet of flat prairie in Stillwater. The Dairy Barn, commonly referred to as “Dairy Palace,” is located on the northwest tip of Oklahoma State University’s main campus. Dairy Palace was built in 1948 by the Oklahoma A&M College and designed by alumnus Paul Harris. It was the third barn built on the campus, but it minimized the existing barns’ significance with its massive size and modern additions of indoor plumbing and electricity. Today, the barn is the only one still standing.
The barn was constructed with a reinforced concrete foundation along with a reinforced concrete second story for hay storage. Steel and brick cover the exterior frame of the structure, which has been only minimally altered since its original construction. The barn features a central, gambrel-roofed structure with a wing extending out each side of the building. The center of the building was used as a milking parlor, where students were taught the milking process. The four adjoining wings have been used for bull stalls, maternity wings, judging arenas, and student living quarters. For many years, the barn was a significant meeting place for farmers from across Oklahoma who gathered there to discuss the current and future state of dairying.
In 1981, a renovation to the University’s Dairy Cattle Center created a new milking facility for 200 cows and severely diminished the use of the barn as a teaching facility. Today the primary use of the barn is for housing dairy cattle and miscellaneous storage, but the barn still stands in excellent condition, reflecting the continued importance of the Animal Science Program at the University.
References
Thomas, Craig R., “Oklahoma A&M College Dairy Barn,” Payne County, Oklahoma. National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination Form, 2014. National Parks Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, Washington, D.C.
Writing Credits
Coordinator:
Arn Henderson
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