Exploring Norman

Free App Offers Tour of City’s Historic Sites

BY: SHARLA BARDIN

Some of Norman’s historic sites are getting some high-tech treatment. Residents and visitors can download a new app to take a self-guided tour of many historic structures in central Norman, such as the Moore-Lindsay Historical House Museum, Sooner Theatre and historic buildings at the University of Oklahoma.

The free app gives people insight into historic structures that are still used today, said Anaïs Starr, a city planner and the city’s historic preservation officer.

“I think people will learn about their city and their community and learn about preservation,” Starr said.

The City of Norman, in collaboration with the city’s Historic District Commission, launched the app in December of last year. The Historic Norman Tour, available on the STQRY Guide App and is a free download from the Apple App Store or through Google Play, features 23 historic structures, including 16 sites listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

The historic tour is designed to begin at the Moore-Lindsey Historical House Museum and end near the OU campus but Starr said people can start the app at any location near them. Each location in the app has an audio and written narration and a map for directions to the site. Starr started working on the project last summer, using funding through the State Historic Preservation Office to aid educational programs. She said the state office encouraged educational outreach programs to involve technology, and one of the suggestions was a tour app. Starr had the idea of a historic Norman tour app as a companion piece to coloring books of Norman’s historic sites that are offered to local students “so there would be something for adults as well as children to use together.”

There are a variety of sites to explore, and points of interest include the amphitheater in Abe Andrews Park, the Santa Fe Depot, the Cleveland County Courthouse and historic OU campus buildings, including Boyd House, also known as

the President’s House, and the Oklahoma Memorial Student Union.

Amy Pence, museum manager at Moore-Lindsay Historical House Museum, said it’s exciting to have the museum featured on the new app. Pence hopes it will encourage more people to visit the museum, and help residents see “how much historical value is still left in Norman.”

Pence said the app could also prompt more interest in preservation efforts for historic buildings and sites in Norman.

“Preserving those helps strengthen those ties to your community,” she said.

Starr said she’s received positive feedback about the app and plans to add more historic areas. She hopes residents and visitors who use the app gain insight and appreciation about Norman’s history and the buildings that played a role in the development of the community.

“This is just a great way to learn about Norman and find out about all this history around you,” Starr said.– BSM

TOWN TOUR

The Historic Norman Tour is available for free on the STQRY Guide App which can be downloaded for free from the Apple App Store and Google Play. Once you have downloaded the STQRY Guide App, search for Historic Norman within the app to start exploring.

For more information, visit normanok.gov.