Clara Luper Center for Educational Services

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

For five decades, the district administrative offices for Oklahoma City Public Schools were housed in a former junior high school west of downtown. Despite renovations, the building was never well-suited to administrative usage and, over time, space needs, changing technology and the building’s aging infrastructure forced the district to look for a new home for their administrative staff. They were able to acquire the former Central National Bank, which was located just a few blocks away at 615 N. Classen Boulevard.

GSB was enlisted to transform the three-story office building into a new headquarters for the state’s largest school district. The main building features numerous offices, conference rooms and collaboration areas for approximately 160 employees. New amenities such as training rooms and a staff lounge were added to the basement. The original bank vault was stripped of its safe deposit boxes and converted into a storm shelter that can accommodate all building occupants in inclement weather.

An addition, in a complimentary and contemporary design style, contains the main entrance and reception area, conference and meeting rooms, and a large multipurpose room, which is used for regular school board meetings, professional development sessions and community events. With the limited resources available to the district, new life was breathed into an unused building to create an environment thoughtfully designed for the district’s needs and aspirations.

The building has been named the Clara Luper Center for Educational Services, in honor of a local civic leader who led sit-in protests that helped end segregation laws and promote racial equality in Oklahoma City.

This project received a 2021 Associated General Contractors of Oklahoma (AGC) Build Oklahoma Award
and a 2021 American Institute of Architects (AIA) Oklahoma People's Choice Award for Adaptive Reuse.
It was featured in the 2022 Architectural Portfolio issue of American School & University Magazine.