Can Anyone Place A Home Like This One?

[Doug Loudenback]

I'm exchanging e-mail with a lady from Shelby, NC, which began with her comment in my main Mesta Park article:

Hi. I'm the resident curator for an historic property in Shelby, NC that was built in 1921 from plans of Aurelius-Swanson Co, an architectural firm in Oklahoma City. It is a spanish style bungalow named El Nido. You can see pictures of it on Preservation NC website or National Park Service. I understand that there is at least one house in Oklahoma City built on similar plan. I was told that it is on Classen Blvd but I've taken virtual tour of both Blvd and Drive as well as your Mesta Park tour (very well done) and can't find anything that looks like it. Do you know of any similar house in Oklahoma City.

Actually, Aurelius-Swanson Co. wasn't an architectural firm, it was more into construction and retail selling of roofing materials and such and I found several references to the company in the Oklahoman's archives. But I found no "fit."

Here's a photo of the Shelby, NC, property which is called "El Nido":



I've told her that it looks very familiar and that it could easily be located in Heritage Hills or Mesta Park. One address that she got from somewhere was 3909 Classen Blvd which is now a 2-story office building at the southwest corner of 39th & Classen. I did find a loosely similar home a couple of blocks north but it had too many dissimilarities to be a match.

I've driven through the Putnam Heights area (near and southwest of the last stated address), Mesta Park, and Heritage Hills (including Classen Drive) and I cannot locate a house which is very similar to El Nido so I'm coming up empty handed.

Can anyone identify a home that looks like the above, built in the late teens-to-1920-ish? It needs to be an airplane bungalow, white stucco, red Spanish tile roof, beveled/trapezoid pillars or whatever they are called.

I still say it looks very familiar. Perhaps I remember it from somewhere on Classen Blvd on a property that now contains an office building, but I'm just wildly guessing about that.

[kevinpate]

kinda sorta reminds me of one just off Lincoln, south of 18th a ways, east side, but only kinda sorta, and barely that. Sorry.

Nice though

[Doug Loudenback]

That's a good thought ... fits the time period and I hadn't thought of that area. I don't recall if airplane bungalows were/are there ... the homes were more robust and expansive, as I recall, to be called bungalows. But, hey, who can say? It's certainly worth checking out.

[flintysooner]

I remember a house like that. I think it might have been in that 36th to 39th and Classen area.

[Steve]

I've seen it, just can't recall where.

[Karried]

Sent a message to Richard Mize so we'll see if he has any info.

[ktybug]

I took a class of pre-teens to tour some of these homes. I can remember that we started at the Harn Homestead and this home was not far from that. Maybe 10-15 minutes. I am thinking in Heritage Hills area. I am sure you know that the entire catalog is published at urbanreviewstl.com. I love these homes and always think of how glamerous a time it was. I am sure the home you are looking for is in close proximity to a similar home that was owned by a silent picture star, a name I can not recall at this time. Hope this is some help.

[Generals64]

Try on 36th st. (N.W.) about 2 blocks east and one block north. Have seen a house like it and i think it's in that area......There is a house similar in the Nichols Hills area....due east of the Golf and Country club......

[rondvu]

I remember a house like that. I think it might have been in that 36th to 39th and Classen area.

Upon seeing the photo I too thought Classen Blvd between 36th and 39th and it was on the west side of the street.

[mugofbeer]

There is a similar one, I think its on NW 19th in the 3300 block, north side of the street.

[Martin]

^
you may be on to something

how about this place which sits on the 3100 block of nw 19th... just east of 19th & land on the south side of the road?

-M

[rebeccalove]

I'm the lady from Shelby who contacted Doug with the inquiry and I appreciate all your participation. I see a lot of similarities in the photo of 3100 block of 19th. One can enter the porch/veranda of El Nido from either side and the OKC house has larger second story rather than just the two rooms on second story at El Nido. Otherwise it looks very much like it. I'll try to get the copy of the old photo that PNC has of house in OKC to see if this is the same one they knew about. I haven't had a chance to look at the other suggestions but will try to do so later today. Thanks again, Becky

[Doug Loudenback]

Here's a twist ... I said that the roof tiles were Spanish tile, and by that I meant clay. They are not. Becky (the lady in North Carolina) says that they are made of tin and are tiled together.

[metro]

Doug, isn't it possible the stucco could have been painted or roof tiles replaced since the 1920's?

[Doug Loudenback]

Sure, Metro, anything's possible. But the trapezoidal or pyramid or whatever-they-are-called pillars would be easy to spot and unlikely to have been changed.

Anyway, this morning, I closely drove through the Putnam Heights area in the vicinity of NW 35th-38th & Classen, the Lincoln Terrace area east of Lincoln, south of the Capitol, the Gatewood area, west of the Gatewood area, and NW 19th and 20th from Pennsylvania westbound, and, sadly, came up empty handed.

I really hadn't noticed before, but the "tin" roofs really aren't all that rare, I just hadn't noticed before. The closest match (and it isn't that close) was at 3132 NW 19th, the one that Martin spotted via google street view ...

Click the pic for larger ...



I'm now best guessing that the address that Becky had at the southwest corner of Classen & NW 39th, 3909 Classen, where the 2 story office building is today, may well have been correct.

County assessor photo for today's building at the above address:



The assessor's on-line record shows the above property was built in 1982.

[USG '60]

They bulldozed a dozen or two of great old airplane and Craftsman bungalows along classen in that area back in the early 80s. Some were falliing in while others where in pretty good shape. The one above and this one at 44th are about all that are left, 44th and N Classen, Oklahoma City,OK - Google Maps. The treasure you seek is probably long gone.

[metro]

Doug. Just curious but what is the curators intent on findine the twin in OKC?

[gen70]

There is a house in Nichols Hills that I did some electrical work on years ago that is in the Spanish style. I'am gonna get on Google street view and see if I can find it, if so I will post. I love that Spanish style architecture. I do remember the roof tiles were clay and had moss growing on them which I thought looked cool.

[Doug Loudenback]

Doug. Just curious but what is the curators intent on findine the twin in OKC?

She's just being a good curator, putting her own building's history together.

[Doug Loudenback]

There is a house in Nichols Hills that I did some electrical work on years ago that is in the Spanish style. I'am gonna get on Google street view and see if I can find it, if so I will post. I love that Spanish style architecture. I do remember the roof tiles were clay and had moss growing on them which I thought looked cool.

There is no shortage of the Spanish style homes around town, gobs of them. But finding one that is a close match for the airplane bungalow that the North Carolina curator is interested in is a different matter.

[gen70]

There is no shortage of the Spanish style homes around town, gobs of them. But finding one that is a close match for the airplane bungalow that the North Carolina curator is interested in is a different matter.

Just thought I'd see if this was the one.

[Doug Loudenback]

Thanks, gen70, but since the house you're thinking of is in Nichols Hills, the house being searched for wouldn't fit, either as to timing or style, unless there is a modest blungalow area in Nichols Hills that I've missed ... possible.

[rondvu]

I am thinking that if the home was on Classen it's chances of surviving is extremely thin. After looking at the home on 19th and again on Classen perhaps I stuck on seeing something similar, not to say that the house did not exist. I also have hear that Carey place was an exact replica of a street in Venice Beach CA. In my neighborhood I have found twins of two houses, but they are also in OKC.

[Doug Loudenback]

Becky says that in her parent organization's file there is apparently a photo of the Okc house with an address noted on it (perhaps on the back) showing the 3909 Classen address. I'm not sure if she has seen it but hopefully she will gain access to it, scan it, and share it with us. It is still stuck in my mind that I have seen the house before.

[Martin]

i enjoy this kind of thing... kind of like detective work.

working off the assumption that 3909 classen is our mark, i found that:

one a.h. emenhiser lived at that address in 1918. emenhiser was secretery-treasurer of rising star oil company as of 1916.

one dr. j.g. binkley owned the property in 1933. he requested rezoning of the property in 1948. his request was to change his 8 lots on both sides of classen from nw 38th to nw 39th from single dwelling to multiple dwelling. apparently, his request had been previously denied.

between 1933 and 1944, the binkley family hosted numerous events at their home such as teas and family reunions.

in an article dated 3/13/1960, the oklahoman has a short bio of dr. binkley. the article states that he moved to his current residence (3909 classen) from capitol hill around 25 years prior. one cool detail in this bio suggests that it was binkley that came up with the idea that walker and robinson should have an underpass rather than an overpass across 'the tracks there'

in any event, given the status of the families living in this dwelling and the scale of some of the events hosted, i'm not so sure that the bungalow pictured fits at 3909 classen. i didn't find any pictures providing the proverbial 'smoking gun', though.

i've scribbled down dates of some of the articles if anybody is interested.

-M