Can Anyone Place A Home Like This One?

**rebeccalove** · 11-01-2009, 12:18 PM

I think that probably is typical for other areas. There are a lot of bungalows in this part of the country too built during that time period but rare to have the Spanish revival style. The style of the house at NW 36th street would be typical bungalow here, expect not many airplane bungalows.

Looking back, I think the house at NW 36th may be one that Generals64 mentioned in post on 9/8. The airplane bungalow design is what makes it resemble El Nido.

Your email to me of 9/8/09 that included information you found about A-S included the pictures of houses in ads from The Oklahoman. I got the address to look for that house from one of those ads that said "open today" and had date 8/29/1920. There's another open house ad for home at 3400 Classen date Sunday 8/20/1916 with a photo that I haven't looked up yet. They are definitely photos of newly constructed houses--no trees around--and details of what I could see of the house I mentioned from side and front match the photo.

From what Allison Marshaus at Oklahoma Historical Society told me from her research and from what you all have gathered, looks like Aurelius-Swanson went at with with gusto but bankrupted relatively quickly. So much for the description of E. L Aurelius you found in the excerpt from History of Oklahoma: "These achievements, it may be added, have been accomplished before their architect has reached the age when slower minds are beginning to comprehend life's possibilities." From all the things they were into--not just construction but also selling construction, household and electrical supplies and offering mortgages on the properties, that's one of life's possibilities it's easy to see, even for a slow mind like mine. Another of the notices you sent before was for Bankrupt Sale of stock of Aurelius Swanson Electric Co. in Jan 1922. The light fixture pictured in that ad is just like one that hangs in living room of El Nido.

Considering how many of these homes you probably still have there, I know it must seem strange for me to be pursuing this so avidly. But El Nido is really a curiosity around here. Partly because of it's architectural style but maybe also partly because of the family that built it and lived there, but even people who have no idea of that family or what they were like notice and remember the house. It's a combination of Oklahoma history and NC history and I want people here to be aware of the Oklahoma part of that history--it's been fascinating for me.

Becky

**Doug Loudenback** · 11-01-2009, 12:23 PM

Here's another full-page ad by the A-S company, this one on July 1, 1917, for the property shown below ... click the ad for a larger view ...

Like the 3909 Classen home, it no longer exists. The county assessor shows the property to be owned by United Systems in the building below, built in 1971:

**rebeccalove** · 11-01-2009, 12:30 PM

Wow! What an impressive house to have lost. I'll have to research that company that made the "life furniture" now. But at least that is an attractive commercial property that replaced it. The one mentioned at 3400 Classen Blvd is also gone. Convenience mart and other small businesses at every corner. Becky

**Doug Loudenback** · 11-01-2009, 01:17 PM

Originally Posted by rebeccalove

* * * Another of the notices you sent before was for Bankrupt Sale of stock of Aurelius Swanson Electric Co. in Jan 1922. The light fixture pictured in that ad is just like one that hangs in living room of El Nido.

Considering how many of these homes you probably still have there, I know it must seem strange for me to be pursuing this so avidly. But El Nido is really a curiosity around here. Partly because of it's architectural style but maybe also partly because of the family that built it and lived there, but even people who have no idea of that family or what they were like notice and remember the house. It's a combination of Oklahoma history and NC history and I want people here to be aware of the Oklahoma part of that history--it's been fascinating for me.

Becky

About the light fixture, well that is eery, isn't it?

I would also say that, judging by the copy of the photo you sent but also noting that the quality of the image isn't good enough to say for sure, that your El Nido still hasn't found an exact match in Oklahoma City, if there ever was one.

As you noted early on, the trapezoid shape of the pillars (or whatever they are called) distinguishes El Nido. Although other bungalows here feature trapezoids ... like the one below at 315 NW 20 ...

... and the one below at 126 NW 19th ...

... they are nothing like your El Nido and the trapezoid form was/is not that common. More often, the lines are at right-angles, like the very nice one below at 140 NW 19th ...

Aside from bungalows, the Spanish style was and remains popular here for more posh digs. Here are three located in Heritage Hills (and I betcha the owners would NOT care to have their homes referred to as bungalows!) ...

All of this discussion raises another question: What the heck IS a bungalow, anyway?

I've never focused in to arrive at a particular definition aside from repeating what others commonly refer to them as being ... typically small to medium sized homes, often with a porch, sometimes with a partial 2nd story (the airplane version, I guess). Doing a little quick looking, I'm not quickly finding a consensus about the definition. For example, Bungalow - Discussion and Encyclopedia Article seems to say that they are always 1-story, which rules out "airplane" bungalows. Also, see this excerpt from the book American Bungalow Style.

Heck, my home in Mesta Park, is it a bungalow??? Dunno.

I'm just gonna have to do an article on Okc Bungalows, I guess. After the MAPS 3 vote is done, and after I finish my undone Capitol Hill article, and after ... but sooner or later, I'll get to it!

This has been a lot of fun, Becky. Thanks for being the catalyst, and thanks for us learning about the Okc-Shelby NC (and, indirectly, Asheville) connection.

**Doug Loudenback** · 11-01-2009, 03:02 PM

Originally Posted by rebeccalove

Wow! What an impressive house to have lost. I'll have to research that company that made the "life furniture" now. But at least that is an attractive commercial property that replaced it. The one mentioned at 3400 Classen Blvd is also gone. Convenience mart and other small businesses at every corner. Becky

Becky, sad to say, OKC's past 50-60 years haven't been marked by a dominating interest in historical preservation -- I say not "dominating" since the historical preservation point of view has often not prevailed here, though there are exceptions.

Part of that might be attributed to the fact that, relatively speaking, we are still a relatively young city as cities go ... the city was "born" on April 4, 1889, with the Land Run bearing that date. Quite possibly it takes more than a little bit of aging for a city to become really appreciative of its past heritage ... and that's probably not unlike the human model.

I see that your city has much more vintage roots. From History of Shelby--Shelby, North Carolina: A National Register of Historic Places Travel Itinerary, I read that:

The area Shelby, North Carolina would later occupy was familiar to the Cherokees and other American Indians of the Southern Appalachian region when the first European explorers arrived in western North Carolina. This occurred in May, 1540, when the Spanish expedition of roughly 600 soldiers led by Hernando de Soto (1500-1542) came up from Florida, where they had arrived from Cuba the previous year, and visited the Cherokee town named Xulla in western North Carolina before crossing the mountains into eastern Tennessee. The Spanish did not stay, but the Cherokees, an Iroquoian-speaking people, would later have to deal with the French, British and Americans in closer proximity. The presence of the Cherokee proved troublesome to the newly arrived English colonists, as many Cherokees staged attacks against the English during the French and Indian War, even defeating an invading British Army in 1760 and forcing the surrender of Fort Loudon in eastern Tennessee. The Cherokee presence did not prevent the arrival of European settlers, however. ¶ During the 1750s European settlers first arrived in the region that would later become Shelby, which was then part of Ansonia County, North Carolina's westernmost county.

Well, I guess that's another Oklahoma connection with your area ... the Cherokees were forced to move to what would much later become the northeastern part of Oklahoma during the "Trail of Tears" period in Indian Territory and Oklahoma history.

Fast-forwarding to the 1960s, we (corporately, we, OKC) wiped out about 40% of our historic downtown structures during the 1960s-1970s in our legitimate interest in revitalizing our downtown which was becoming distressed by the development of and trend toward suburban shopping and, during that time, we lost more treasures than I'll count here [so to avoid sidetracking this thread]), and it wasn't only then that such a quality might be observed. I'm only mentioning this here for your general reference so that you'll have a bit of background. Even as we speak, at least a few historic treasures will likely be eliminated by a pending city initiative (MAPS 3) if it passes on December 8 ... and I'll be one who votes Yes ... but, again, those discussions are better found (and kept) within existing topics in this main element of OkcTalk ... OKC Metro Area Talk - OKCTalk ...

But, back to topic, historic residences. Here's another magnificent home, the home of early-day deputy US marshall, local sheriff, but soon to become oil and business tycoon and city leader C.F. Colcord (who was during his later years chair/president/whatever title of the Oklahoma Historical Society). His 1903 home was located at 421 W (now NW) 13th Street. When built in 1903, it was considered to be on the outstretches of Oklahoma City, proper, even though only 13 blocks north of downtown center. As I said, we are a young city. Local trolleys promised to go that far away but, when his home was built, they did not.

421 NW 13th, Charles Colcord's home in 1903 ... click for larger ...

... and the same property today ...

Gladly, numerous historical homes, which have less likelihood of being razed than do commercial properties, continue to exist. As it developed, many homes built on early-day Classen Blvd. are gone. Classen Blvd. was initially built as a corridor thorough the then-existing rural wilderness by the company that owned the trolley line. The trolley line owners coincidentally (!) owned large tracts abutting that route and it built an electric plant and early day amusement park at its northern end, Belle Isle Park. At one time, traffic patterns did not necessarily mean that perimeter properties would necessarily be business properties ... heck, in 1903, automobile ownership was relatively small. The owners of the trolley line didn't make their big bucks from operating the trolley but, rather, from developing and selling residential properties along its route. But, with cars came individual traffic, and with that came individual businesses. Eventually, Classen became an area involving commerce, and many residences did not survive though a few still do.

Recall that, as to the 3909 Classen property, after his parents had both died, it was a surviving son that petitioned the city in 1973 to rezone the property at which his parents had lived for many years to "restricted commercial."

**Doug Loudenback** · 11-01-2009, 03:14 PM

Originally Posted by rebeccalove

Wow! What an impressive house to have lost. I'll have to research that company that made the "life furniture" now. But at least that is an attractive commercial property that replaced it. The one mentioned at 3400 Classen Blvd is also gone. Convenience mart and other small businesses at every corner. Becky

If you mean, the ad's reference to Harbour-Longmire's "life time furniture," Harbour-Longmire was a principal Okc early-day retailer and manufacturer. It built the downtown building below in 1922 or 1923 ... today the building is used by the City of Oklahoma City ...

**rebeccalove** · 11-01-2009, 03:24 PM

That's very interesting history of my area and yours. I knew about the Cherokee and enjoy visiting the lands they still hold further west here. This area also has interesting history during Revolutionary War with battles that turned the tide occurring nearby with help from the Overmountain Men.

I'm going to try to attach photos of the light fixtures at EL Nido that I think probably came from Aurelius-Swanson, and you can see on the view of living room into dining room how much like the photo in the Modern Bungalow Plan book on that first existing page. If I can't figure out how to get these on the thread, I'll email to you.

Becky

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**rebeccalove** · 11-01-2009, 03:30 PM

Also, there are more of the little rotted lampshades like the ones on the living room fixture in a closet. I think they went on the music room fixture (the one with the badly damaged ceiling) and maybe the dining room fixture too (I don't think I sent picture of it). Or maybe they were just extras. Could have purchased them in the bankruptcy sale (ha). The fabric on the extras is also very fragile and mostly rotted.

Thanks for sending the photo of the furniture company building. It's a nice looking building. I'm glad it's being used and preserved.

Becky

**Doug Loudenback** · 11-01-2009, 03:31 PM

Becky, if you want larger-than-thumbnails, it's pretty simple: Within a pair of opening/closing [img] codes, include the literal path of the graphic file, e.g., [img]xxx[/img]

Sure looks like that lighting fixture you mentioned earlier.

**bluedogok** · 11-01-2009, 07:08 PM

Thank you both Doug & Rebecca for this "history lesson", I love learning about the older buildings in town. Being in architecture and having an interest in historic preservation it is always interesting. Even though the only "old building" project that I have worked on is the JDM Place building, which was no where close to a "preservation" project it is always neat to see the history of buildings.

**khook** · 11-01-2009, 10:09 PM

rebbeca oklahoma city actually has some of the largest area of designated Historic Preservation areas of any city in the country. With those areas being
- Crown Heights
– Edgemere Park
– Jefferson Park
– Mesta Park /
- Heritage Hills
– Paseo
– Putnam Heights
– Shepherd

And a state preservation area of Lincoln terrace all housing areas built mostly in the teens and twenties.

Yes some of the historic fabric along the edges of those areas have been lost but for the most part the areas are mostly intact - as they were developed.

I'm sure you would note that for a city the size of Oklahoma City that is not common.

In addition there are several neighborhood conservation areas and historic overlays.

**papaOU** · 11-01-2009, 11:58 PM

You can have Nichols Hills! In my opinion, Heritage Hills has the most elegant and beautiful homes in the OKC area. Mesta Park is #2.

**Doug Loudenback** · 11-02-2009, 01:49 AM

Originally Posted by khook

rebbeca oklahoma city actually has some of the largest area of designated Historic Preservation areas of any city in the country. With those areas being
- Crown Heights
– Edgemere Park
– Jefferson Park
– Mesta Park /
- Heritage Hills
– Paseo
– Putnam Heights
– Shepherd

And a state preservation area of Lincoln terrace all housing areas built mostly in the teens and twenties.

Yes some of the historic fabric along the edges of those areas have been lost but for the most part the areas are mostly intact - as they were developed.

I'm sure you would note that for a city the size of Oklahoma City that is not common.

In addition there are several neighborhood conservation areas and historic overlays.

Good points, khook.

**Generals64** · 11-02-2009, 08:06 AM

Originally Posted by papaOU

You can have Nichols Hills! In my opinion, Heritage Hills has the most elegant and beautiful homes in the OKC area. Mesta Park is #2.

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My son lives in Mesta Park and the entire neighborhood (his block anyway) work together on moving things...cleaning their yards...things like we used to do in the 50's and 60's.....rather astonishing.....

**papaOU** · 11-02-2009, 04:46 PM

Originally Posted by Generals64

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My son lives in Mesta Park and the entire neighborhood (his block anyway) work together on moving things...cleaning their yards...things like we used to do in the 50's and 60's.....rather astonishing.....

No rent houses!! Few renters care about the home or its outside......

**Martin** · 11-18-2009, 09:27 AM

can't believe i didn't think to pull up the sanborn map... here's the relevant area for 1932. 3909 classen is highlighted. -M

**Doug Loudenback** · 11-21-2009, 08:49 AM

Same, here, Martin. But are you sure about the location? Wasn't the home closer to NW 39th than NW 38th? Maybe not, though, since (as I recall) the property sat on 3 lots, and maybe 2 were to the north.

**Doug Loudenback** · 11-21-2009, 09:13 AM

Ha ha! How could I have doubted you, Martin? The above explanation is exactly right and you nailed it. Here is a crop from page 212 of the 1922-1949 Sanborn Map series, and showing some additional detail (e.g., "stucco") about the property.

I'll send an email to Becky.

**okyeah** · 11-22-2009, 02:52 AM

reminds me a lot of this house in HH

Prunepicker · 11-22-2009, 02:24 PM

Originally Posted by Doug Loudenback

Here is a crop from page 212 of the 1922-1949 Sanborn Map series, and
showing some additional detail (e.g., "stucco") about the property.