A comprehensive look at historic northside neighborhoods

[Spartan]

I've been working on a comprehensive look at all of the north side's old neighborhoods. So far here's the map that I've put together.



I had to use abbreviations or shorthand to fit labels in the tiny spaces, but here are the neighborhoods spelled all the way out starting east to west: Automobile Alley, Midtown, Heritage Hills, Mesta Park, Uptown, Jefferson Park, Paseo, Crown Heights, Central Park, Edgemere, Western Avenue, Putnam Heights, Asian District, OCU, Gatewood, Plaza District, Classen-Ten-Penn, the Gay Enclave, Venice Boulevard, Crestwood, Miller, Reed Park, Linwood, Drexel Place (I think?), and there's a nice historic hood I came across that NW 19th goes through between I-44 and Portland. Except for Central Park, Drexel Place, and Classen-Ten-Penn (which we may as well call Beirut), most of these neighborhoods are surprisingly nice and well-kept.

I think that I've discovered a few new things since taking this comprehensive look at OKC's neighborhoods.

1. The main thing being that there appears to be two separate concentrations of neighborhoods, one centered around NW 23rd and Classen, and another centered around NW 23rd and May.

2. Another thing I've discovered is that the western concentration of neighborhoods go mostly unnoticed and don't get the same attention that the north-central cluster do, but are surprisingly well-gentrified (Miller, Crestwood, etc).

3. We appear to be getting back to our urban roots, and we see the reemergence of several "strip districts" such as Western Ave, Uptown, and the Plaza. There is potential untapped up and down May Ave for another of such a strip to develop.

4. The northwest and north central clusters of neighborhoods are divided by mostly un-gentrified and unidentified/unlabeled neighborhoods that lack an identity and lack organization. It's not all bad though. There are even some areas such as along Youngs Blvd where you see contemporary homes being built, large brick apt bldgs converted into entire new homes, and other beginning signs of gentrification. You still don't see very many examples of the vernacular building stock being remodeled however, which typically is a result of organization and neighborhood identity.

5. Mapping these hoods out can enable the city to develop a strategy to best continue the gentrification of the inner north side. The goal should be a unified city, rather than the patches of good and bad that currently exist. The city can do a lot more to demarcate neighborhoods, a lot more to unify, and so on.

The purpose of all of this is to identify what we have and hopefully develop a comprehensive infill and restoration strategy to make the most of the north side, where a lot of work remains to be done. It would be really cool to see a movement along these lines develop within the city. There also needs to be a comprehensive brand for the entire area between downtown and I-44, and unfortunately "Midtown" is taken by a specific district. Potential candidates are "The Heights" or "Mid City" or "Short North" or something like that. If the city recognizes these districts and sets in motion a plan of action backed up by public improvements that are also branded under this movement (very important), you will see major results.

[Spartan]

Oh, and yeah I know that Crown Heights and Edgemere Park are mixed up..don't know what I was thinking. Just noticed that mistake.

[David Pollard]

Excellent overview Spartan. Have you considered talking to Steve Lackmeyer about writing a comprehensive article on this? I believe that your study, if put into the proper form (ppt, images, etc), could be a real impetus for improvement in those areas and, even more important, a greater sense of identity for the city. Well done.

[Spartan]

Well there is no study. I was just bored and decided to take a spin through the neighborhood and discover some areas that aren't familiar to myself. For instance, I know 23rd and Western Ave like the back of my hand. BUT my initial project was to take the original vintage streetcar routes on Doug's blog and follow the routes all the way. That's how I came across some of the early signs of gentrification along Youngs Blvd.

I would be more than happy to reconfigure what I found into presentable data and "official findings" on the historic and planning merits of these neighborhoods. Something needs to be done to make more out of this part of town. In doing a quick search on google for some of these neighborhoods (to see which have associations with websites, etc) I came across a few studies the city commissioned in the 90s when they were putting a lot of these areas on the historic register.

For instance here's a study on Classen Ten Penn:
http://www.okhistory.org/shpo/archit...senTenPenn.pdf

There is an index of neighborhood surveys here on the Historical Society's website:
http://www.okhistory.org/shpo/architsurveys/

[David Pollard]

Couldn't agree with you more. Might speak with the OU dept of Architecture for help with grad students on the form of such a presentation or to make a real comprehensive report. Just an idea.

[lasomeday]

Great work Spartan!

I think this area will be the "inner loop" like Houston and will be the high priced area with a lot of infill in the next 10 to 20 years. These neighborhoods will be the heart of the infill and the lesser neighborhoods will be either redeveloped or restored eventually. I see great things for these neighborhoods!

I have driven a lot of them too and I love the little parks that are mixed in these neighborhoods.

I actually like the Classen Ten Penn neighborhood with McKinley Park. I love that park it is a little oasis that is always busy and has amazing Bur Oak trees. There are some amazing houses in there and with its proximity to the Plaza District I see great things happening in that area.

The areas just north of the neighborhoods you marked are being gentrified as well. I don't know what those neighborhoods are called, but I have a few friends that have houses in those areas and are active in making those neighborhoods great.

[Spartan]

That's a great point you bring up about the neighborhood parks. A lot of these neighborhoods, most namely Edgemere Park and Jefferson Park, but certainly all of them to a certain extent, derive their identity from their neighborhood park or green space. They also feature broad divided boulevards with landscaped medians, such as Miller's--a source of pride for that neighborhood.

I think with Classen Ten Penn you sort of enter an entirely different discussion on what to do with corridors heading west out of downtown. We have this awesome proposal for the NW 10th Peace Park. 10th and Linwood are already incredibly awesome landscaped boulevards with so much potential. It's unfortunate that those neighborhoods are the most derelict and forgotten. What to do...

[lasomeday]

Maybe if the city could get some neighborhood associations set up and organized. Then the neighborhoods could get orgainzed and get to know each other and start doing things like the Plaza District.

[adaniel]

This is a great map! As someone who is (desparately) trying to find a rent house in this side of town, I've always been confused about where stuff starts and stops. This will help me tremendously.

I just got back from a business trip from Pittsburgh, and I got to meet some locals. It was really cool to see them point and say "Oh thats Stanton Heights," or "Well that's Squirrel Hill." Its something that definitely lacks in sunbelt cities like OKC. One one hand I hate "balkanization" of cities, but I think its really important for a neighborhood to have an identity and sense of belonging if it is to really start to regenerate.

Have you thought about running this map by some of the community organizations? Also, I know its technically east of 235 but does anyone know where Lincoln Terrance stops and starts?

[bluedogok]

"balkanization"

That term had a bit of a different meaning in OKC in the 70's to 80's......

[wsucougz]

Nice work - there is also Edgemere Heights(east of crown heights - can be lumped together as CH/EH) and Edgemere Terrace and Douglas, if you want to take it north of CH/EH.

[Spartan]

Maybe if the city could get some neighborhood associations set up and organized. Then the neighborhoods could get orgainzed and get to know each other and start doing things like the Plaza District.

That only works for some neighborhoods. There are some neighborhoods that I believe are beyond collective effort and I believe Classen Ten Penn is one of those neighborhoods, and if not, then the areas across 10th definitely are. CTP is such an interesting neighborhood because it does have the potential with McKinley Park there, and the interesting definition of space with the hills, and the quality building stock despite being overwhelmingly run down and bombed out looking. This is also quite possibly a Top 10 most dangerous part of the city, in terms of crime statistics (although McKinley Park is completely safe). It's also worth noting that Wayne Coyne's sweet pad is in this neighborhood and those guys will probably never leave this neighborhood, and might even get involved in neighborhood redevelopment.

I think the area south of 10th, that Linwood cuts through, might just be a good candidate for being torn down and wiped out completely. I believe there is potential for large-scale redevelopment similar to what OCURA has done in the JFK area, where they've basically just built a new hood in the middle of a run down part of town with about a hundred new homes I believe. They could do that along Linwood and sell it to people who need proximity and access to downtown. You've got a wide 6-lane blvd with virtually no traffic leading straight into downtown.

As for what a good neighborhood organization can do if empowered, I say look no further than Jefferson Park, where things are really heating up in spite of the sour economy.

Jefferson Park
Here on their website you can see some of the awesome things they're doing..neighborhood cleanup, greeting marathon runners as they go through J-Park, putting up the new signs, a neighborhood newsletter that is well-produced, events in the park, and more. They have a development corporation arm of the JPNA that has remodeled a ton of homes and built new a ton more. They've also won awards for best neighborhood this year. This neighborhood has come so far in the last 3-4 years as a direct result of the passion these people have put into their neighborhood.

As for Lincoln's Terrace, the majority of it is east of Lincoln, and I think it ends one block east of Lincoln. It's really just a thin sliver, kind of a small neighborhood. The area that backs up to I-235 is something else I think, and a lot of people have suggested this area may take off in the near future. A lot of potential.

[mugofbeer]

25ish years ago I was in Tulsa visiting a guy I went to college with and he lived in a redevelopment area of old frame homes that had all been remodelled and turned into sort of a community development. This area was at least a full square block of homes. Each renovated house had the garage demolished so you had curbside parking and each renovated house had it's own small courtyard in the back. The majority of the back yard space had been combined to make a large community play space and (I think) it had a community pool. I want to say it was near Peoria and/or near the river but my thoughts go back to that renovation/redevelopment project as one that could be a model for both preserving and renovating older homes.

Does anyone know of the area in Tulsa I am trying to describe? Is it still a decent area?

[khook]

Lincoln terrace runs from ne23 south to 13th, the eastern border is basically along Phillips and western border is on the west side of Lincoln to Stiles picking up NE 16, 15th, 14th and 13th on the west side (does not include any state property). It is also a historic preservation district - but under the rules of the state historic preservation office, not the city of Oklahoma City. So different set of rule makers and rules.

To the east of Lincoln Terrace is the Medical Community Neighborhood and Capital View neighborhood associations, which have worked very hard at maintaining their neighborhood with very little help from the city.

I bring the city up because till the city provided the money for the plaza district to become part of the main street program, there was no funding to really get redevelopment going. The business owners at the time were very supportive with helping cleanup of the area with neighborhood supporters. But till street improvement by the city and the city getting behind redevelopment not much happened.

The Neighborhood Alliance office is setup to assist all the neighborhood associations and to help bring neighborhoods together that have common interests together.

Neighborhood Alliance Inc
Neighborhood Alliance
1236 Northwest 36th Street
Oklahoma City, OK 73118-5604
(405) 528-6322


They also link the Oklahoma crime statistics of the Oklahoma City police department on a weekly basis by neighborhood.


I have lived in gatewood, lincoln terrace, edgemere and heritage hills. And have owned or continue to own various properties in those same areas plus other inner city neighborhoods. Ten-penn has made alot of progress since the improvement of the Plaza district. The number and type of crimes continues to go down with most of the crime now being report as public drunks or drug possession from transit traffic going thru the neighborhood. It should continue to be upgraded if the "South of Saints" area continues to redevelop.

Having said that I have and continue to live in the inner city area. It always upsets me when the comments are isn't that dangerous..... Well read the crime reports for the Quail creek's (former governor robbed), Nichols hills grand larceny, and any other neighborhoods. There is crime in all neighborhoods even suburbia if not more so. If there are strong neighborhood associations in place that demand city services such as zoning enforcement, police patroling of neighborhoods, reporting of suspect drug activity and neighborhood beautification then those neighborhoods become safe. (Note the squeaky wheel theory)

[ljbab728]

I have to wonder why all of discussion focuses strictly on the North side. Isn't there any area South of the river that might qualify for similar discussion?

[soonerfan_in_okc]

I have to wonder why all of discussion focuses strictly on the North side. Isn't there any area South of the river that might qualify for similar discussion?

unfortunately, that is where downtown is. Not sure if the neighborhoods are as organized on the south side, or if they have the local support of some of the north neighborhoods.

[ljbab728]

unfortunately, that is where downtown is. Not sure if the neighborhoods are as organized on the south side, or if they have the local support of some of the north neighborhoods.

There probably isn't similar support but I think the possibilities are certainly there with the right kind of encouragement. And many of the neighborhoods South of the river are just as close to downtown as those being talked about.

[Spartan]

As a southsider myself, I could not begin to define boundaries or talk about any identities of inner city neighborhoods, especially not as well as I can point to north side neighborhoods. I can tell you where Capitol Hill and Stockyards City are, and I can point you to about 10 or so good restaurants that exist between downtown and I-240. But like I said, as someone who is very familiar with the neighborhoods, I just don't think there is a whole lot of potential for redevelopment. These homes are all relatively small and lack anything distinctive about them, yet the local identity is very strong when viewed cumulatively. The southside for the most part revolves around Capitol Hill and there's another area with high-intensity activity around 44th and Western. (Target, Wal-Mart, Southwest Medical Center, medical office buildings, banks, fast food, etc). That's about it. The southside is going to continue to rally around Latino culture and heritage, and that's a GOOD thing. Before the area became inundated with new immigrants it was largely vacant. Say what you want about gangs, they have brought new activity, restored old homes that were empty, and filled the southside with activity. I know the southside has the highest population density in the city and I would also not be surprised if the INNER south side had one of the higher growth rates despite minimal new home construction.

______________________________________
The southside isn't a good candidate for a detailed comprehensive plan like the northside is just begging for one.

[circled9]

there is an attempt of putting together what is called the trolley track coalition of neighborhoods from tenth to 23rd-----may to penn. it is a start.

[Decious]

Good job Nick! I agree that it would be an enhancement for these neighborhoods and our city to develop a deeper sense of place. As they do, hopefully we'll see things happen that emulate something like the Placemaking Project in Portland!


Intersection Repair City Repair

Streetfilms | Intersection Repair

[EBAH]

there is an attempt of putting together what is called the trolley track coalition of neighborhoods from tenth to 23rd-----may to penn. it is a start.

I'm in! I live on the deviding line between Miller and Crestwood. I would lov to see the western side of the historic neighborhoods get a little organized. I am also glad to hear Spartan mention May as a neglected retail corridor. I've long thought that there was a wealth of older store fronts, restaurants, theaters, and even department store buildings going unused on May Ave. It could really be a great street. My area of town, is almost like the best kept secret in town. Beautiful old houses at very reasonable prices. Thanks for the great map Spartan!

[metro]

Oh, and yeah I know that Crown Heights and Edgemere Park are mixed up..don't know what I was thinking. Just noticed that mistake.

Also Edgemere Heights needs to be added in there.

[andimthomas]

Are all of these neighborhoods under the same zip code? I'm trying to find some houses for sale in the area.

[Doug Loudenback]

Nice work - there is also Edgemere Heights(east of crown heights - can be lumped together as CH/EH) and Edgemere Terrace and Douglas, if you want to take it north of CH/EH.

First, to Nick: Great idea and well executed ... I can see a lot of good stuff coming from this project.

Second, wsucougz ... You mentioned "Douglas" ... might be same as Douglas Place addition. Between Walker & Lee and NW 45 & NW 47 is a very pretty park ... about a month ago I noticed a sign (below) showing when the park was established and that intrigued me ... I hadn't been aware of residential development that far north in 1911. On your map, Nick, this park is the green rectangle immediately north center of your Edgemere neighborhood.



Other pics of the park are here: parks pictures by DougLoudenback - Photobucket

My general intention is to put together a blog article on vintage okc parks one day but that won't be anytime soon, most likely.

[Spartan]

No, they're spread out over 2 or 3 ZIP codes.

EBAH and Decious, thanks for the compliment. EBAH--especially the old May Theater around 16th or so. I also think it's interesting that the ONLY Starbucks in the entire inner north side is at 39th and May--yeah, Starbucks is evil and I never give them money, but it's like any retail, bringing in a national "standard" for a niche goes a long way toward opening up an area to more local coffee shops as well. The west core of historical neighborhoods really is a huge untapped resource for OKC. You'll even find Heritage Hills-sized lots in neighborhoods like Linwood.

I like the idea of putting in neighborhood public squares for key intersections. Portland is always on the cutting edge of initiatives like this. I think the City of OKC has a great thing going on with its NeighborWoods program where they've given out thousands and thousands of trees in the last few years.

1. If there is ONE thing the city can do to help out is develop consistent signage to demarcate each neighborhood. Follow the example of Tulsa:



A lot of old northside neighborhoods have put up brick entry points in the median of their main street. Some of them even have street lamps and banners such as Jefferson Park. Regardless of the level of identification these neighborhoods have, I think along EVERY neighborhood dividing street there should be a colorful neighborhood icon attached to the street signs, like in Tulsa, at every block. Virtually all of these are colorful, bright, and standardized so you expect them.

2. There needs to be a comprehensive plan created that does two things: branding, and coordination of public improvements. There have been a ton of neighborhood improvements made as a part of the bond issues, MAPS for Kids, and even MAPS 3 trails and maybe a senior center, and other programs. These improvements need to be coordinated with each other and with the neighborhoods. This would be the alternative to identifying an expensive wish list of improvements. As for branding, by that I mean a cumulative image. How do you promote the entire inner north side of OKC? "Inner north side of OKC" is a mouth full.. what about The Heights, Short North, Old North, Mid City, or some other collective moniker for these neighborhoods. Then promote it. This would be OKC's version of "Midtown Tulsa" which is a huge swath of Tulsa between downtown and I-44 full of special neighborhoods that are very well-maintained. (I think Tulsa's neighborhoods are their greatest asset.)

3. There needs to be a development plan. Each neighborhood needs a designated development process. A lot more neighborhoods than just the four or five that are currently on the register need to be put on the register and designated for complete and total preservation. Other neighborhoods can be designated as infill area. Other areas, such as the area south of Classen Ten-Penn, probably just need to be turned into OCURA redevelopment projects. Such a plan also needs to take into account each of the commercial corridors such as NW 23rd or Western, etc and areas with a large concentration of multifamily multistory buildings.

Those three things aren't going to cost the city much, but they'll go a loooong ways toward improving these areas.