Renovation work recently started on the century-old Canadian County Jail in El Reno, Oklahoma, so it eventually can reopen as a museum.
Preservation El Reno, a nonprofit organization, is busy replacing the stone building’s roof before starting on interior work, according to KOCO-TV in nearby Oklahoma City.
The station reported:
The estimated million-dollar project is crowd-funded, and preservationists hope to have the new museum open in time for the Route 66 Centennial.
“Some place for people to come learn but also be inspired especially our future architects,” Neathery said.
Those looking to donate to the project can do so at any BancFirst location and ask funds to be transferred, or they can reach out to the nonprofit’s Facebook page.
Here are photos on Facebook of the organization’s work on the jail:
The jail, built for $18,000 in 1907, served its original intended purpose until 1985, when the county built a new jail. The same year, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The jail was designed by noted architect Solomon Layton in 1905. He designed 52 buildings that are on the National Register of Historic Places. That includes the Oklahoma Capitol.
The jail also contains a stable at the rear of the property built a few years later.
The old Canadian County Jail is at 300 N. Evans St. in El Reno, about three blocks north of Route 66 and one block west of U.S. 81.
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