Historical Significance

Originally built in 1917, Kaiser’s is one of Oklahoma City’s longest standing eateries. Although the building has experienced a lot of history in the last century, the most significant event to take place here, and the primary reason I chose this building, occurred in 1957. On August 19th, Kaiser’s was home to Oklahoma’s first sit-in. 12 African Americans, who could not legally be served in white establishments at the time, sat at Kaiser’s counter and calmly waited to be served or arrested. Mr. Kaiser, a Swiss immigrant who opposed Oklahoma’s segregation laws, had given approval for the protest to go on in his cafe.