Press Release
July 20, 2022
Contact: Matthew Pearce, Ph.D.
State Historic Preservation Office, Oklahoma Historical Society
Office: 405-522-4479
Fax: 405-522-0816
mpearce@okhistory.org
www.okhistory.org
New Oklahoma National Register Listing
OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma Historical Society, State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) is pleased to announce the National Register of Historic Places designation for the following property in Oklahoma. The National Register of Historic Places is our nation’s official list of properties significant in our past.
Ottawa County
Nine Tribes Tower
205 B St. NE, Miami
Nine Tribes Tower is locally significant for its association with Social History. The Miami City Council established the Miami Housing Authority (MHA) in December 1965 to provide safe and sanitary dwellings for low-income families and senior citizens by using federal funding from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Planning for public housing in Miami commenced in 1966, and the construction of Nine Tribes Tower began in 1970. Designed by Hudgins, Thompson, Ball and Associates and built by Cowen Construction Company, Nine Tribes Tower opened in 1971 as the only low-income public housing project constructed for seniors by the MHA. During the planning stages, the MHA decided to name the building Nine Tribes Tower in honor of nine tribal nations with historic ties to Ottawa County: the Cherokee, Eastern Shawnee, Miami, Modoc, Ottawa, Peoria, Quapaw, Seneca-Cayuga and Wyandotte. Upon opening, the building was at near full capacity, indicating that Nine Tribes Tower met the need for senior housing in Miami.
Listing in the National Register of Historic Places is an honorific designation that provides recognition, limited protection and, in some cases, financial incentives for these important properties. The SHPO identifies, evaluates, and nominates properties for this special designation.
The State Historic Preservation Office is a division of the Oklahoma Historical Society. The mission of the Oklahoma Historical Society (OHS) is to collect, preserve and share the history and culture of the state of Oklahoma and its people. Founded in 1893 by members of the Territorial Press Association, the OHS maintains museums, historic sites and affiliates across the state. Through its research archives, exhibits, educational programs and publications the OHS chronicles the rich history of Oklahoma. For more information about the OHS, please visit www.okhistory.org.
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Editor’s Note: Photographs to accompany the story can be acquired by contacting Dr. Matthew Pearce at the Oklahoma State Historic Preservation Office at mpearce@okhistory.org.
