Historic Tuton Pharmacy Building: Arcadia, OK

Hey friend – welcome back to another post! Today, we’re talking about the Historic Tuton Pharmacy Building in Arcadia, Oklahoma. This charming building measures 25 by 70 feet and holds a lot of local history. So, set’s get started!

*Photos were taken by myself in Arcadia, Oklahoma at the Round Barn and Tuton Pharmacy Building.

History of the Building

First State Bank of Arcadia

After purchasing the corner lot, the First State Bank of Arcadia commissioned this two -story sandstone building in 1917. The building entrance is a double-arched doorway on the Southeast corner. It is framed by two large arch-shaped windows. Originally, the windows had stone sills and headers as seen in the drawing below, but they were sadly removed at some point…

Drawing of the Tuton Drugstore that hangs inside the Arcadia Round Barn.

The First State Bank didn’t stand out in town – many of the original buildings in Arcadia were built with the locally quarried sandstone. But, this wasn’t a huge issue because the First State Bank of Arcadia didn’t occupy the building for very long… They sold their corner building to Benjamin Tuton and George Blake for $3,400.

FUN FACT! The sandstone rock is the same material used to build the base of the Round Barn.

Blake and Tuton’s Pharmacy

Below are some 1909 newspaper clippings that talk about previous locations of The Arcadia Pharmacy buildings. I would imagine the Blake and Tuton Pharmacy would have looked similar on the inside!

Blake & Tuton New Building Construction south of the hardware store – The Arcadia News – Arcadia OK – Mar 19 1909 (Page 8)

In July 1919, Benjamin (B.F.) Tuton and George Blake moved their drugstore into the building. Tuton, a pioneer businessman in Arcadia, and Blake operated the Arcadia Pharmacy for many years. In 1921, Tuton bought Blake’s share of the pharmacy. He and his son, Thomas ran the pharmacy afterwards.

Tuton Pharmacy – The Arcadia News – Apr 23 1909 (Arcadia, OK) (Page3)

This building has withstood the test of time. The pharmacy was the only building that survived the fire which tore through the Arcadia Business District in June 1924. Many say the structure survived because it is made out of the local sandstone rock.

Here are a few advertisements examples from the pharmacy!

The earliest newspaper clipping I found was from 1904 with C.D. Blake operating the pharmacy in Oklahoma Territory. Arcadia Pharmacy – CD Blake – The Arcadia Star (Arcadia, OK) – May 27, 1904 (Page 5)

Keeping the business in the family, Thomas’ wife, Ethel, operated the drugstore after his death in 1934. She successfully ran the pharmacy until 1941.

Ole Country Store

After the pharmacy closed, the building stood vacant from 1941 until 1945. In 1945, the building was leased to a grocer. The building became the “John’s Grocery Store” / “Ole Country Store” in 1945 and operated until 1979!

National Register of Historic Places

The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983 because the Romanesque Revival architecture style. I seriously love this little building and would LOVE to see the inside one day!

Antique Mall

According to an article I read, Ethel and Thomas Tuton’s daughter operated an antique mall on the first floor of the building for a while.

Realtor & Art Gallery

The Chesrow Brown Real Estate company occupied the building for a few years. In May of 2007, the Chesrow/Cesario Art Gallery opened in the building, but it has since closed down. I am not sure how long the gallery was in operation? If anyone knows, send me a message on my contact page! I’d love to know!

Present-Day

Today, the building is empty and has a for sale sign located out front… It’s such a cool building and I hope someone will buy it and honor its history!

Concluding Thoughts

I love this little 2-story building in Arcadia, Oklahoma. It’s tucked away behind the Round Barn on Route 66 so you could easily visit both places in one trip.

The map below is inside the Arcadia Round Barn and it shows all of the historic buildings in town with a short description. Scroll through the gallery for closer images. Maybe you’ll find another historic treasure!