Historic McLain Rogers Park in Clinton to undergo improvements

The City of Clinton, Oklahoma, and its Beautification Committee are in the early stages of making historic McLain Rogers Park “more accessible and user friendly,” according to a newspaper’s report.

The Clinton Daily News (subscription required) talked to city manager Robert Johnston about the possible changes:

“There is an obvious lack of handicap and ADA (Americans With Disabilities Act) accessibility in the park, especially at the amphitheater, that we want to address along with adding in more parking and new sidewalks to make everything a bit more user friendly.”

The City has been working with BKL Engineering out of Tulsa to assess McLain Rogers Park. The
company will provide the City with plans along with an official estimate of the cost of the processes. […]

“Right now we are finalizing the plans with BLK with the additions of the new sidewalks across the park, ADA accommodations and new parking along Jaycee Lane,” said Johnston. “Once we have an estimate of the cost of these things, we’ll be able to start applying for grants.”

The Federal Emergency Relief Administration, Civil Works Administration and Works Progress Administration built McLain Rogers Park, named after the mayor, between 1934 and 1937.

The National Park Service stated this about the park:

The park welcomed visitors, who could enter it directly off Route 66, through an impressive Art Deco style gate with brick piers on either side of Bess Rogers Drive. McLain Rogers Park is important in the recreational and economic development of Clinton between 1934 and 1942 and for its unified design that reflects the New Deal’s influence. This design is still evident today.

The 12-acre park has changed very little over the years, still featuring the kinds of recreational attractions that appealed to local residents and cross-country travelers during the 1930s and 40s. Visitors to the park will find pavilions, a bandstand, tennis courts, putt-putt golf, a baseball field, picnic tables with fire pits, playgrounds, a volleyball court, amphitheaters, and a bathhouse. Many of the buildings and structures are historic and date from the earliest days of the park. Traffic on Route 66 increased the work of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, and the last Depression era building constructed in the park is the 1941 Highway Patrol Building near the main entrance gate.

The park was designated to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.

(Image of the entrance to McLain Rogers Park in Clinton, Oklahoma, by Jeffery Beall via Flickr)

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.