Collinsville joins more than 50 other Oklahoma towns on list of historic downtown districts

The City of Collinsville is joining more than 50 other towns in Oklahoma on a list of historic downtown districts.

FOX23 spoke with Collinsville City Manager Chuck Ralls about what this means for the city and local businesses.

Ralls said this is exciting news for people living in Collinsville, especially for business owners because this means all these buildings that have been there for close to a century will begin restoration and preservation work.

“At our last meeting we had a conversation about the need to preserve our history and not only the buildings, but the culture and the history of Collinsville,” Ralls said.

Since taking office in April, he said it’s been his goal to bring back and preserve the historic beauty of Collinsville.

Six weeks ago, the City applied to have its downtown registered as a historic district, opening up funding and potential grant money towards that goal.

“We agreed that establishing a historic district would be beneficial to the community long term,” said Ralls. “Not only did we establish a historic preservation district, but we also established a committee that will help oversee that.”

The district runs from the railroad tracks on Main Street, then four blocks west to the fire station on 13th, and one block north and south of Main.

Because this impacts local businesses, FOX23 went and asked some of them what their thoughts are on this announcement.

“I love that, I love that they’re helping us preserve,” said Karen Barros, owner of Enchanted Children’s Bookstore.

Barros owns the Enchanted Children’s Bookstore in the old bank building, built in the late 1800s. Her great-grandfather worked in the building her business is now in.

“So many small towns have lost the history to their town and Collinsville’s keeping it. Collinsville’s making it front and center,” Barros said.

Gary and Linda Tucker spent two years restoring their building, T3 Coffee Roasters, before opening its doors for their business.

“Collinsville has a really rich history, and there’s a lot that has gone on here. I always think about if these walls could talk, this building as been here for over a hundred years and we want to see it here for another hundred-plus years,” Linda said.

That is quickly becoming the mission of so many small towns in Oklahoma, to the east Oologah and Claremore have historic registered locations.

Also to the west, Skiatook is applying to have a historic district as well.

“The world is more than just big box stores and big businesses, there’s history. There’s life in old buildings,” Barros said.

The City of Collinsville said businesses in a historic district can apply for funding to make improvements to their buildings, but any changes have to be approved by a committee to make sure it doesn’t hurt the building’s historical integrity.