All About Bartlesville
Cultural Center
A place where history is preserved, culture is shared, and community continues to take shape.
Our Mission
The Bartlesville Cultural Center preserves and shares the stories, heritage, and cultural traditions that shape our community. Through oral history, cultural experiences, and community engagement, we connect generations, celebrate diverse voices, and create space for understanding, unity, and shared community pride.
Our Vision
A connected community where oral history is preserved, cultures are shared, and the stories of those who shaped Bartlesville are recognized and remembered.
Our Legacy
The Bartlesville Cultural Center began as the Westside Community Center, created to serve African American residents during segregation. It provided a safe place for youth, families, and community members to gather, access opportunity, and build connection during a time when those spaces were limited. For generations, it stood as a cornerstone of West Bartlesville, rooted in resilience, belonging, and shared experience.
The original Westside Community Center building located at 6th & Oak
How It Evolved
When WCC first began, it served as a haven for the African American community. Oral history reflects that even a credit union was formed out of necessity, rooted in a time when access to resources was limited.
For many, WCC is where they got their first job, learned to swim, took their first camping trip, and were introduced to the arts through a highly successful Summer Fine Arts program.
It also served as a gathering place for seniors through a nutrition program that provided more than meals. It created space for connection, shared experiences, and community. Seniors took trips together, shared meals, and spent time enjoying games and conversation.
Over time, WCC became widely known primarily for its after-school programming and youth-focused services.
As the community changed, so did the needs around it.
Change was inevitable. As families expanded beyond the neighborhood and the city itself evolved, the needs of the community shifted. However, the perception of the organization remained fixed, often limiting how it was understood and who it was seen as serving.
In 2024, the organization closed following significant financial challenges and a gap in leadership needed to sustain operations. This moment made it clear that a different path forward was required.
Current leadership views this moment as a necessary reset. The transition, including the name change, reflects a commitment to accountability, sustainability, and building an organization that can effectively serve the community moving forward.
Where We Are Today
Today, the Bartlesville Cultural Center is expanding beyond a single neighborhood identity into a citywide cultural hub. While its roots in West Bartlesville and its commitment to African American history remain central, its role has grown to serve a broader community, creating space for people of all backgrounds to connect through culture, oral history, and shared experiences that strengthen the community as a whole.
What We Do
- Preserving and sharing the history of West Bartlesville
- Documenting stories through oral history and community voice
- Creating cultural experiences that bring people together
- Providing programming that connects generations
- Expanding access to community engagement and opportunity
Why It Matters
As Bartlesville continues to grow and change, spaces that preserve oral history and create connections become essential.
The Cultural Center ensures that the stories, experiences, and contributions of the people who shaped this community are not lost, but recognized, understood, and carried forward.
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