Lansbrook

[capt_john_97]

I know the lansbrook area used to be the farm owned by the Urschel's. I understand that the pool which is still in operation is the second pool built in Oklahoma (I'm not sure what the first one is/was) I have seen an old picture of the area showing the tennis court and the pool with its log bath house but in that picture there is another structure south of the tennis courts and east of the pool. Anybody have any ideas? Anyone have an old picture of the pool? Any more history of the area?

[Pete]

I worked at that pool during the summer breaks in college, from 1979 to 1981. In addition to being a lifeguard, I was also the pool manager which meant I had responsibility for maintenance.

It's certainly very old. They remodeled it in the early 80's but prior to that the pool equipment was actually in the basement below the restrooms. That building backs to a creek which would overflow during heavy rains and flood the pump room, which of course had a lot of electrical equipment. Also, I had to carry heavy and dangerous chlorine gas cylinders down old, narrow steps.

After the reno the equipment was moved to ground level. Just goes to show how different things were back then because no one seemed to care much that some 19 year-old college kid was performing pretty dangerous tasks without any real safeguards.

I have pictures from about 10 years ago somewhere. On a visit back, I made a point to go by and see it. Still looks very similar and the setting is really beautiful, as it the nearby park, tennis court, greenbelts and lake.

[Pete]

Found this on the history:

The area we call Lansbrook today was the estate of the Urschel family in the 1940's. The estate consisted of 180 acres and was located six miles west of the town of Britton. At that time it was a place out in the country with an iron fence around it. Mr. Urschel was in the oil business. Mrs. Urschel, fortunately for us today, loved gardening. She had a greenhouse to supply the many beautifully landscaped areas of the estate, which included a rock garden and a lake full of water lilies.

There were seven lakes on the property and a large number of bridges. The Urschel's also built the state's second swimming pool. It was beautifully adorned in ceramic tile and a log bath house was built adjacent to the pool. These are the same facilities that we share today.

On 1 November 1944 the Urschel's sold the estate to Stanolind Oil Company, which eventually became Panamerican Petroleum. The land was then used as a recreational area for the employees. During this time, the main house was totally destroyed by fire.

As Oklahoma City spread west of May Avenue, developers anticipated the needs of the growing population. Dick Coyle, a local developer who had previously developed Lakehurst west of May and north of Wilshire, bought the 180 acres and was granted the first Planned Unit Development (PUD) in Oklahoma City, allowing for multiple use of the land. In naming the area, he continued the style chosen for Lakehurst: using English street names. He used the first part of a Lakehurst street, Lansdowne, for the first part of the name Lansbrook. The second part of the names comes from the fact that the area had a brook running through it. Dick Coyle left intact the pool and bath house, the present lake, the tennis court, and many of the landscaped areas as open greenbelt spaces for all residents to enjoy.

Lansbrook now consists of 396 single-family homes, three duplexes, three vacant lots, and, accordingly, a great number of residents who still enjoy both the feeling of being "out in the country" and the remnants of the beautiful landscaping begun by Mrs. Urschel so long ago.

[Pete]

Here's the photo from 2003.

The log bathhouses (women's to the south, men's to the north and a covered area between) are original and matched the former main house. The creek runs right behind, where all those big trees are.

I remember the bathhouses had terrazzo floors and were true log construction. It's actually an amazingly cool structure and setting.

The old decking was stone -- perhaps flagstone -- and the entire pool was covered in ceramic tile.

Lots of good memories here, as it was my college days and in addition to lifeguarding and managing the pool, I also taught swim lessons and coached the swim team.

[Achilleslastand]

The name rings a bell but I cannot place it. Where exactly was/is this located?

[Pete]

Lansbrook is on the west side of MacArthur and south of Britton.

[RadicalModerate]

Found this on the history:

The area we call Lansbrook today was the estate of the Urschel family in the 1940's. The estate consisted of 180 acres and was located six miles west of the town of Britton. At that time it was a place out in the country with an iron fence around it. Mr. Urschel was in the oil business. Mrs. Urschel, fortunately for us today, loved gardening. She had a greenhouse to supply the many beautifully landscaped areas of the estate, which included a rock garden and a lake full of water lilies.

I knew that the name Urschel rang a bell (so I looked it up). Was this the same Urschel who was kidnapped by Machine Gun Kelley, from his City Home in OKC, proper, a few years earlier? I'd have to guess that it was. Sorry . . . sort of a history buff. (and recent trips to Bartlesville, Pawhuska and Ponca City did anything but stifle my interest in this sort of thing. =)

In a way, it's too bad that what is now Lansbrook couldn't have morphed into something like Woolaroc, OKC.
On the other hand, I'm happy for all the nice people who now live on the property, from which all traces of its rural origins were not removed.

[Urbanized]

I wanted to ask the same question regarding the kidnapping. Had to be..?

[Urbanized]

If that truly was the second swimming pool built in the state (seems unlikely if it was as late as the '40s..?) I know of at least one that was older; the (now filled-in) pool at the Marland Mansion. But surely there are/were others older than the 1940s?

[ljbab728]

If that truly was the second swimming pool built in the state (seems unlikely if it was as late as the '40s..?) I know of at least one that was older; the (now filled-in) pool at the Marland Mansion. But surely there are/were others older than the 1940s?

I don't know for sure but I tend to agree with you that it is unlikely.

[Pete]

That little historical blurb is a bit confusing...

It says the property was sold in 1944 and that the family owned it in the 40's. However, I think they built and owned it sometime before then.

That property may have been a second, "country home" as I know the Urschels lived in Heritage Hills when he was kidnapped by Machine Gun Kelly in 1933:

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[Prunepicker]

Here's the photo from 2003.

The log bathhouses (women's to the south, men's to the north and a covered area between) are original and matched the former main house. The creek runs right behind, where all those big trees are.

Too the left were/are fruit bearing Mulberry trees. I'd eat myself sick on them.

[Pete]

An article in today's Oklahoman about the Urschel kidnapping:

Kidnapping of Oklahoma City oil man made national headlines in 1933 | News OK