Honorable
Mention - Open Our Town:
Where We Live, Learn, Work, Pray, and Play... Our town is not static, existing only in the present. Perry, Oklahoma, was "Born by the Run" with the shot of a gun at noon on September 16, 1893. Our town has continued to live, learn, work, pray and play every day for nearly 111 years. With that in mind, this collage begins with a glance into Perry's past through a window reminiscent of the one located on the 1902 Noble County Bank building designed by renown territorial architect, Joseph P. Foucart. Providing the foundation within the window are scenes of what would forever be the largest land run in our nation's history. The continuation of our story builds from these scenes into what the center of our town looked like just weeks after the Run into other times gone by as our town lived, learned, worked, prayed and played. Leading up and through the top of the window are the various stages of our courthouse, the anchor of downtown Perry. Beyond the window are more recent times extending to today's Perry. Many images span the 'limestone' window, sometimes literally, reaching from the past into today. The frame color is maroon, which is not only our school color, but also typifies the red Kansas City pressed brick used on the historic bank building. This 'Perry' color provides a perfect complement to the photos used and enhances the theme of the Collage 2004 project - "Our Town..." The Noble County Bank Building is now known as the Foucart Building in honor of the architect responsible for its beautiful design. Today this building is the hub of civic and economic development activity with the Perry Chamber of Commerce, Main Street of Perry and the Perry Information Network being housed within its walls. Mr. Foucart's distinctive window, found on the facade of the building, defines many things in Perry, particularly the logos of the Perry Chamber of Commerce and Main Street of Perry. Main Street's excitement over participating in this Collage 2004 project stemmed from a very active and successful 2003. On September 2 the Perry Courthouse Square Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In October we completed our nomination for the Great American Main Street Award presented by the National Trust for Historic Preservation's National Main Street Center. Once again Perry received national recognition when we were named one of eleven semi-finalists for this prestigious award. Five winners will be announced in Albuquerque, New Mexico on May 10th. Both of these projects steeped us in research, photos and documentation making the Collage 2004 project a natural follow-up. Stepping into Perry, especially the Perry Courthouse Square Historic District, is almost like stepping back in time. Enjoy your visit through Perry via this collage, and let us welcome you to 'Our Town' soon! Construction Detail: The 3D effect of the Foucart window was accomplished by cutting the base level and individual 'stones' of 1/4" plywood. Each piece was then sanded to create smooth edges and applied to the face of the board with construction adhesive and brads. The holes created by the brads on the uppermost level were filled and sanded. From the reverse side of the board, holes were drilled allowing screws to be inserted then filled to give a smooth finish to the back of the board. A textured finish was then applied to the surface to give a more realistic impression of the actual stone window. Photos Courtesy of:
Also contributing to the completion of this collage:
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