Historic Pawnee Building Restored After Quake Damage

Five months after the state's largest earthquake caused parts of a historic Pawnee building to crumble, its facade has been restored.

"Everybody loves this building. It's really a cool building," said owner Keith Cheatham.

It was built in 1902. And while Pawnee County Bank is engraved in the stone, it was named the Arkansas Valley Bank.

"I just learned a few months ago that one time Pawnee Bill was one of the owners of this bank," Cheatham said.

Keith Cheatham owns the building now -- and has for 15 years.

It most recently housed a jewelry store, but that closed in 2012 and the inventory left behind has been collecting dust ever since.

Cheatham said, "Everybody says, 'Oh, I'd love to go fix [an old building] up'...well, yeah...it's a neat thought, but it's time consuming. It's costly. And not everyone has the time or energy to do that."

So he put it on the market, and then Oklahoma's largest earthquake hit, shaking chunks of the sandstone facade lose, causing them to crumble down to the sidewalk.

9/5/2016 Related Story: USGS: Pawnee Earthquake Strongest Ever In Oklahoma

Special Coverage: Oklahoma Earthquakes

"How do you repair a building that someone built 115 years ago because obviously those people are long gone?" Cheatham asked.

With the guidance of The Oklahoma Historical Society and the skill of Shelton and Shelton Masonry, the outside of the old bank building looks as good as new.

Cheatham did not have any earthquake insurance, so it cost him thousands and thousands of dollars out of pocket. But it was worth to preserve a piece of history.

And one day, Cheatham hopes, the right owner will come along to give the rest of this piece of history, the restoration it deserves.