Central Oklahoma City in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma — The American South (West South Central)

Weather Service Building

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, April 9, 2025

1. Weather Service Building Marker

Inscription.
This property has been
placed on the
National Register
of Historic Places
by the United States
Department of the Interior

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Communications • Government & Politics. In addition, it is included in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1906.

Location. 35° 29.335′ N, 97° 31.891′ W. Marker is in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, in Oklahoma County. It is in Central Oklahoma City. It is at the intersection of North Classen Boulevard and Northwest 19th Street, on the right when traveling south on North Classen Boulevard. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1923 N Classen Blvd, Oklahoma City OK 73106, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Central Oklahoma — Frontier Country.

It is also in the American South,

specifically on the prairies,

and on the Southern Plains.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory

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of the Mississippian Culture

and also the Louisiana Purchase.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Milk Bottle Grocery (approx. 0.4 miles away); Vietnam War Memorial in Oklahoma City (approx. 0.4 miles away); Mid-Continent Life Building (approx. half a mile away); Caldwell-Walton House (approx. 0.6 miles away); Susan Ferrell and Mary Rentie (approx. 0.7 miles away); The Maney Home (approx. 0.7 miles away); Tom and Brenda McDaniel University Center (approx. 0.7 miles away); Chickasaw Nation Garden (approx. 0.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Oklahoma City.

Regarding Weather Service Building. Excerpt from the National Register nomination:

The red brick Weather Service Building was in use from 1904 to 1956. J. P. Slaughter was chief from 1905 to 1932, when he died only a short time before his retirement. Harry F. Walgren took over from him and served as chief until his retirement in 1943. The two men - both, as noted before, were distinct personalities, their names quickly recognized by most area residents - thus tended to personify Oklahoma "weather"
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, April 10, 2025

2. Weather Service Building Marker
for 38 of the 52 years the service operated from atop the low ridge at 1923 Classen.

It should perhaps also be added for the benefit of those who have never lived on the Great Plains that weather here is not just a convenient conversational ploy. Weather has always been and continues to be a topic of day-to-day interest and concern. In a very real sense it is a matter of economic life and death. This was particularly true in the "Dirty Thirties," the decade of the tragic Dust Bowl when prolonged drought profoundly changed the face and indeed the entire lifestyle of vast sections of the Southern Plains. Mr. Slaughter and then Mr. Walgren were the Oklahoma weather service during this difficult period.

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Also see . . .
1. Weather Service Building (PDF). National Register nomination for the building, which was listed in 1978. (Prepared by Kent Ruth, Oklahoma Historical Society ; via State Historic Preservation Office of Oklahoma) (Submitted on May 25, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

2. Office History. The Weather Bureau office only lasted in the Culbertson Building [from July 1, 1902]

Weather Service Building image. Click for full size.

via National Weather Service, Norman, Oklahoma (Public Domain)

3. Weather Service Building

Undated picture postcard of the Weather Bureau Observatory, which also served as the Section Chief's residence.

until January 16, 1906. The reason for the move was a brand new Weather Bureau Observatory, built at 1923 Classen Boulevard in Oklahoma City. This weather observatory was one of a special new class of 47 observatories being built across the United States. (National Weather Service, Norman, OK) (Submitted on May 25, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

3. The Archivist: Harry Wahlgren was face of weather in Oklahoma City. When bureau chief J.P. Slaughter died in 1932, Wahlgren was appointed the acting official. The head office was going to send an outsider to be the new bureau chief. However, the public, led by The Daily Oklahoman and Oklahoma City Times, demanded Wahlgren receive the permanent appointment — and he did. (Mary Phillips, The Oklahoman, Sept. 23, 2013) (Submitted on May 25, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

Credits. This page was last revised on May 25, 2025. It was originally submitted on May 25, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 157 times since then and 26 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on May 25, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.