Eastern Oklahoma Tuberculosis Sanatorium

Title

Campus Site

Subject

Buildings

Description

The former Eastern Oklahoma Tuberculosis Sanatorium now operates as the Oklahoma Veterans Center-Talihina Division and the site consists of seventeen (17) buildings, four (4) structures and one (1) site.

Located three miles northwest of Talihina off Highway 63A on the Winding Stair Mountain of the Kiamichi range at an elevation of more than 1,300 feet, the institution is almost hidden from view by mountain pines and dense woods until an impressive Classical Revival rises on the ridgeline near the center's entrance.

The majority of the structures that comprise the buildings inventory of the former Eastern Oklahoma Tuberculosis Sanatorium were built between 1921 and 1952, most in the Classical Revival style and with design elements associated with the work of George Forsyth of the architecture firm, Layton Hicks and Forsyth. All of the buildings are constructed of red brick, most with limestone, and many featuring pilasters or columns that accent the buildings' verticality. Window type is primarily casement, but the style and size varies from building to building. The windows and doorways are framed with distinctive ornamentation that distinguishes the form and function of each building from one another. The structures built in 1952 or earlier are diverse, but their construction materials and architectural styles are extremely conducive to a cohesive site.

Three buildings original to the site according to the 1924 Sanborn map no longer exist; the Administration building, the Patients Pavilion, and the Hospital, however, their existence can be documented thanks to the staff at the Oklahoma Veterans Center-Talihina Division and the family of Dr. Forrest P. Baker, EOTS Superintendent from 1928 to 1966. These buildings are lost to us now, but those that remain are tangible and significant evidence of Oklahoma's crusade against tuberculosis.