I love driving around north and West Tulsa and seeing some of the original neighborhoods of Tulsa. I came across some old houses, one of which (the biggest) appears to be rundown and possibly uninhabited. What is the story behind this neighborhood? It is on W Fairview St just east of the Tulsa Country Club. Who used to own these houses?
map: http://tinyurl.com/9ccla8
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3434/3208321882_28ed925d82_b.jpg)
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3433/3208318516_dcb81c281f_b.jpg)
Beyond these houses is a really nice rental community. How long has that been there?
map: http://tinyurl.com/8zgtq7
quote:
Originally posted by Nik
I love driving around north and West Tulsa and seeing some of the original neighborhoods of Tulsa. I came across some old houses, one of which (the biggest) appears to be rundown and possibly uninhabited. What is the story behind this neighborhood? It is on W Fairview St just east of the Tulsa Country Club. Who used to own these houses?
map: http://tinyurl.com/9ccla8
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3434/3208321882_28ed925d82_b.jpg)
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3433/3208318516_dcb81c281f_b.jpg)
Beyond these houses is a really nice rental community. How long has that been there?
map: http://tinyurl.com/8zgtq7
If you're talking about this:
http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&FORM=LMLTCP&cp=q0tst86zzv23&style=b&lvl=1&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&scene=16614797&phx=0&phy=0&phscl=1&encType=1
as a rental community, you're a little off. These are all low-income housing, if I'm not mistaken.
That project is part of the Hope IV program, which was designed to transition some of the worst public housing projects in the country in to mixed income residential. So, as far as publicly funded housing projects go, it is very nice.
HOPE VI makes use of New Urbanism ideals, meaning that communities must be dense, pedestrian-friendly, and transit-accessible. Housing rarely comes in the form of apartments, instead private houses, duplexes, and especially for these public housing projects, rowhouses are preferred, because these buildings directly interact with the street. Similarly, houses always stand close to the street, with small front yards. It is common to see porches on the buildings, as well as small apartments for single residents built over garages or on the ground floor.
Whatever the case, they look nice and seem to be well kept. I have been in the area a number of times and had no idea they were some sort of low income housing. Just thought it was a nice, new, little middle class neighborhood going in there.
The large house actually looks MUCH better than it did the last time I saw it. There were all kinds of small trees, scraggly shrubs and such growing up next to the foundation tearing it up. Looks like they have cleaned it up considerably. Good to see.
Others here could give you better information but from what I recall hearing, and I apologize in advance for errors, that cluster of old mansions was the Kennedy Compound. Kennedy was a doctor/oil man. He owned a great deal of land in Northwest Tulsa and he blocked development on that land helping cause Tulsa's growth to shift to the south.
Apparently there was WWII barrack housing where the new rentals are now. Those old barracks had been rented out and I hear the new housing there is an improvement. I agree siting rental housing next to the old mansions was not smart.
When I was living in Ft. Worth, my great aunt told me she had been married to a Tulsa oil man named Kennedy, and that she divorced him. Funny I didn't ask her one question about it. I haven't been able to find any reference to Kennedy having an earlier marriage and divorcing but I'm assuming that is what happened.
The largest of those old mansions, the one pictured, was recently put up for auction to pay back taxes. I don't know what the outcome was.
One of the houses in the neighborhood, across the street from the one pictured, is a B&B.
http://www.kennedymansion.com/index.html
Here's an article about it from Urban Tulsa: http://www.tulsapeople-digital.com/tulsapeople/200812/?pg=26&pm=2&u1=friend
Apparently, Aerosmith used it as a recording studio for awhile.
WoW that is some house. I like alot of the homes located in west Tulsa, I think west Tulsa has alot of old time charm. I'd like to see that big house.[:)]
quote:
Originally posted by Hometown
Apparently there was WWII barrack housing where the new rentals are now. Those old barracks had been rented out and I hear the new housing there is an improvement.
I believe the barracks you are referring to were the Osage Apartments. My parents moved into one right after the Korean war. Then I showed up and we had to move. No kids allowed. There was also The Immaculate Conception Parish located in the middle of those barrack-like apartments. My first teaching job was with the school in the parish. That was 1977 and the apts were crime ridden. The school and the church were torn down to make way for those rentals. The rentals are a huge improvement.
But I loved the mansions in that area lot's of stories about them some rumor some fact. Most are gone now.
quote:
Originally posted by sauerkraut
WoW that is some house. I like alot of the homes located in west Tulsa, I think west Tulsa has alot of old time charm. I'd like to see that big house.[:)]
This is not west Tulsa, it's just North of Downtown by Tulsa Country Club and Owen Park.
quote:
Originally posted by carltonplace
quote:
Originally posted by sauerkraut
WoW that is some house. I like alot of the homes located in west Tulsa, I think west Tulsa has alot of old time charm. I'd like to see that big house.[:)]
This is not west Tulsa, it's just North of Downtown by Tulsa Country Club and Owen Park.
At least not in the sense that most people think of west Tulsa i.e. west of the Arkansas river. The southeastern edge of northwest Tulsa is how I would describe it.
quote:
Originally posted by cks511
quote:
Originally posted by Hometown
Apparently there was WWII barrack housing where the new rentals are now. Those old barracks had been rented out and I hear the new housing there is an improvement.
I believe the barracks you are referring to were the Osage Apartments. My parents moved into one right after the Korean war. Then I showed up and we had to move. No kids allowed. There was also The Immaculate Conception Parish located in the middle of those barrack-like apartments. My first teaching job was with the school in the parish. That was 1977 and the apts were crime ridden. The school and the church were torn down to make way for those rentals. The rentals are a huge improvement.
But I loved the mansions in that area lot's of stories about them some rumor some fact. Most are gone now.
I miss the mansion out on Memorial across from Oertle's that had Halloween Nights. I always thought for the longest time that parcel of land would never have anything on it other than that old, run down mansion.
HT, I was born on Newton street, behind Lombard Elementary, near those apartments. My understanding was that they were post WWII housing built to accomodate the returning GI's. They may in fact have been constructed as temporary war housing. I doubt they were barracks because of the concrete block style of construction. Barracks were either quanset style huts or simple structures of wood.
It was a decent neighborhood in the early 50's. Had its own shopping, barbershop, convenience store, gas station, school etc, but declined the next few decades.
One of those mansions was an operating bordello during the 70's-80's. It had a nice view of the country club. The operation was shut down and the property sold. I toured it...when it was for sale.[;)]
I'd heard that a local attorney recently purchased one of the mansions in that area and is in the process of extensive renovations starting on the interior. They were going so far as to try and track down all the original fixtures and what not that seem to have been sold at various times and acquire them. Might be this Kennedy Mansion.
The house pictured is the Springer Mansion.
AJ is correct, btw.
Springer Mansion.
I drove down to check out these houses today and there is one large house in the back closer to the golf course that has a closed sign in the window like it was some business so I got out to check it out and there was a note on the window saying the "Museum" was closed and had a phone # to call for info. Does anyone know what kinda museum this was?
quote:
Originally posted by SDTULSA
I drove down to check out these houses today and there is one large house in the back closer to the golf course that has a closed sign in the window like it was some business so I got out to check it out and there was a note on the window saying the "Museum" was closed and had a phone # to call for info. Does anyone know what kinda museum this was?
I don't know the name of the museum, its been too long. But that is the former bordello that I referenced above. Lots of rooms in that house.
quote:
Originally posted by waterboy
quote:
Originally posted by SDTULSA
I drove down to check out these houses today and there is one large house in the back closer to the golf course that has a closed sign in the window like it was some business so I got out to check it out and there was a note on the window saying the "Museum" was closed and had a phone # to call for info. Does anyone know what kinda museum this was?
I don't know the name of the museum, its been too long. But that is the former bordello that I referenced above. Lots of rooms in that house.
Was that the house with Visa/MC/Disc/Amex/Paypal sticker in the window?
Im not sure about the sticker but I did try to look in the front windows but they were either frosted or had closed blinds so you could not see in and I didnt try the back windows. It really looked like it would take alot of $$$ to fix it up so I would guess it will be torn down someday.
The museum is "The Willis Ida Dennie Museum of Miniatures Dolls & Toys."
quote:
Originally posted by Samalicious
The museum is "The Willis Ida Dennie Museum of Miniatures Dolls & Toys."
Haha. I thought this was a joke, but apparently not.
http://www.tulsaweb.com/doll.htm