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An interdisciplinary team from the University of Oklahoma recently received funding from Oklahoma Humanities, a non-profit organization in Oklahoma City. The funding will support a humanities-informed design experience in preparation for the Route 66 centennial in 2026. The project, Route 66 Placemaking Communities Retreat, will explore placemaking efforts for communities along the historic Mother Road.
The project will be led by Vanessa Morrison, interim director of the OU Institute for Quality Communities (IQC), and Kimberly Marshall, faculty director of the OU Arts and Humanities Forum. The team will also receive support from Angela Person, Gibbs College director of research initiatives and strategic planning and associate professor of Architecture, and IQC staff members.
The team received this grant through the “Grants for Humanities Discussions” program, which provides funding for public projects that bring the humanities to life through community conversations. Their project aims to strengthen Route 66 visibility at the eastern and western Oklahoma borders. The team plans to create an inviting placemaking activation in Hydro, a rural town located along Route 66 that was once known for its plentiful well water supply and agriculture development.
They will also develop a living-museum experience at the Threatt Filling Station in Luther to bring visibility to this historic Black site. This gas station once acted as a refuge for Black travelers along the Mother Road in the early to mid-1900s. However, it is now listed as one of America’s Most Endangered Historic Places by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
In Spring 2024, the team will carry out site visits and retreat-style conversations in partnership with community members. During these site visits, they will conduct workshops that focus on how these places connect to regional and national narratives. The team will explore several topics with community members, including:
Perspectives elicited during these workshops will inform the community and design partnership with the IQC. Following the site visits and retreats, the IQC will prepare a public report with key takeaways, design concepts and placemaking recommendations.
This program is funded in part by Oklahoma Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in the program do not necessarily represent those of OH or NEH.
Featured Image: The Threatt Filling Station in the 1980’s. Photo courtesy of Charles David Threatt of the Threatt Filling Station Foundation.
Gibbs College of Architecture is proud to recognize Petya Stefanoff, who is pursuing her doctorate in the Planning, Design & Construction (PDC) program, has been appointed the new role of Director of Community Development for the City of Shawnee, Oklahoma. She joined the city in 2024.
Gibbs College of Architecture is pleased to announce that Amber N. Wiley, Ph.D., associate professor in the Division of Planning, Landscape Architecture and Design and director of the Institute for Quality Communities, has received national recognition for her book Model Schools in the Model City. The book has been named a finalist for the 2026 the PROSE Awards.
Gibbs College of Architecture Regional + City Planning Professor of Practice Vanessa Morrison and Associate Professor of Architecture Deborah Richards’ Open Design Collective received top honors at the inaugural BlackSpace Urbanist Collective Studio KIN Pitch Night Competition, held last month in Brooklyn, New York City.
