City Of Sapulpa Demolishes Historic Building To Revitalize Downtown

The city of Sapulpa says a historic building in downtown Sapulpa couldn’t be saved but says it will be replaced by something better.

City leaders said several buildings are being torn down and new growth will be coming as a result of it. Last week, the historic Tyler Building built in 1909 was torn down. The City of Sapulpa had been working with the owner and the Sapulpa main street organization to save the building for the last four years but the city says the combination of COVID-19, rising costs, and the building becoming unsafe they decided to tear it down.

The owner says they plan to redo the space so it can be a commercial property and green space. The Harold Building is set to come down next in Sapulpa as part of a pedestrian alleyway project.

"You’ll have tables set out where people can eat, you’ll have benches where people can sit and string lights. It will be a wonderful little hang-out place. What that is actually going to do is we have a private and public partnership happening here so it’s going to connect most of our downtown with a fresh new alleyway,” Tony Vickers Marketing Coordinator, City of Sapulpa, said.

The city says it will continue prioritizing saving its historical buildings if at all possible. The "Alleyway Project" is possible thanks to a bond project that was passed in 2020.

City leaders want the downtown to appeal to families and be a hub to showcase all the community has to offer.