Chandler, Oklahoma: WPA Landmark
She bought her childhood school to save it. Now she needs a partner.
Kim Evans stepped in to stop demolition of Chandler Memorial High School. Friends of Chandler HS is carrying that mission forward: restore the building, and write the next chapter for this Route 66 landmark.
One school. One chance. One community that will not let it fall.
Built by the WPA from native limestone, Memorial High School still holds student names on lockers, yearbooks in the dark, and the pride of generations of Chandler Lions. After the St. Cloud Hotel was lost, this building became the line in the sand.
What started as a Facebook comment became ownership, advocacy, and a growing circle of alumni, neighbors, and young planners determined to keep the school standing.
How we save it
The path is clear because Chandler already walked it once, at the old Armory, now the Route 66 Interpretive Center.
1. Secure the roof
Stop the water. Stop the clock. A sound roof is the first intervention that preserves everything underneath.
2. Find the right partner
We need adaptive-reuse experience: someone ready to restore, reimagine, or take the project forward with the community.
3. Build the next chapter
Alumni pride, city conversations, and student planning work already point toward a living future for this landmark.
Support the work
Every dollar helps keep the roof on.
Send a donation by bank transfer to Friends of Chandler HS at BancFirst. Scan the QR code from your bank app. The deposit details stay in the code, not on the page.
- Bank
- BancFirst
- For
- Friends of Chandler HS
They saved the Armory. We can do it again here.
Kim and her team proved restoration works in Chandler when the Armory became the Route 66 Interpretive Center. Same town. Same stone. Same grit. Memorial High School is the next fight.
If you restore historic buildings, develop adaptive reuse projects, or know someone who does, this is your invitation.
From the film
Real photographs from inside the building and the people keeping hope alive. Click any photo to open the lightbox, or visit the full Abandoned Oklahoma gallery.
View the full history & photo gallery on Abandoned Oklahoma →