Oklahoma City’s Mesta Park & Heritage Hills Neighborhoods

As a child growing up in Oklahoma City I was fond of many of the frame homes gracing the street grid North of downtown. Once I got my driver’s license I would spend hours driving around looking at all the homes that we so much more interesting than the 1960’s ranch my parents built about a year before I was born.

The home pictured at right is one of many in Oklahoma City’s “Heritage Hills” neighborhood. This hipped roof four square home is pretty common for Oklahoma City. The porch extending over the driveway to create a porte-cochere is also fairly common for the era.

It should be noted that Oklahoma City has only a handful of alleys and those are mostly confined to the downtown area. So garages were used for carriages and later for cars. The horses and dirty cars were kept out back as standard practice until after WWII when they crept toward the front all over the country. The porte-cochere was a great way to drop off passengers as well as protect the horse/car from the hot sun.

It is the one story classic bungalow that I really miss. These homes make up the bulk of Oklahoma City’s pre-war housing stock. The wide porches and overhangs help protect the walls from the hot sun.

The version actually happens to have a small second floor. This was often referred to as an “airplane bungalow.” The upstairs space, mostly just a single room, would serve as a sleeping porch to catch breezes from windows on all four sides. The houses were almost exclusively of frame construction with the porch piers of stucco, brick, stone or sometimes wood.

Just blocks away from the very ordinary bungalow above is this magnificent place, the Overholser Mansion built in 1903, four years before Oklahoma became a state. Not a bad little shack huh?

Nearby was the Skirvin family home. Bill Skirvin, was a wealthy business man and owned the finest hotel in town named, of course, the Skirvin Hotel. His daughter Perle Skirvin was born in Michigan in 1889, the year of the land run in Oklahoma. The family moved to Oklahoma in the late 19th Century and Perle lived in the area until she got married to George Mesta, they moved to the East coast.

She was only 36 when George died and in 1940 she moved to Washington D.C. and got involved in politics. In the 40s “Mesta was known as ‘the hostess with the mostest’ for her lavish parties featuring the brightest stars of Washington, D.C. society — such stars included artists, entertainers and many top-level national political figures.” In 1949 she graced the cover of Time Magazine after being named Ambassador to Luxembourg by President Harry Truman.

Her most famous quote:

“Any bitch with a million dollars and a nice dress can be a great hostess in Washington.”

Her life was the basis for Irving Berlin’s musical Call Me Madam staring Ethel Merman and the neighborhood where she was raised is known as Mesta Park. Not bad for a girl from Oklahoma.

See additional photos of homes from these two adjacent neighborhoods on Flickr.

– Steve

Dr. King, The Lorraine Motel and the National Civil Rights Museum

Thirty-eight years ago history was forever changed by an assassins bullet(s) in Memphis Tennessee. Two weeks ago I stood in front of the Lorraine Motel, now the National Civil Rights Museum, and wept. There it was the balcony where a strong leader, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., was taken down in his prime. I knew the National Civil Rights Museum was located in Memphis but I wasn’t expecting to see it upon my arrival.

It was evening and the old motel signs were on as well as the balcony lights. I was overcome with emotion. Seldom can you stand in a single spot where history was changed. I had several of those moments on my trip. The next day I found myself in front of Little Rock’s Central High School where nine African-American students were denied access in 1957 simply based on their race. Two days later I was walking the Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial with my family. My niece’s husband is a survivor of the bombing, he was in the Journal Record building across the street from the blast. His name is on the wall of survivors which is organized by building.

But back to Memphis.

I arrived on Tuesday afternoon two weeks ago. I’d been through Memphis on the way to Atlanta a few years ago but I never stopped to see anything. This time I went out of my way to check out the city and, in particular, its streetcars. That evening, looking for a good dinner spot, I spotted the Lorraine signs while on the streetcar loop. The old hotel was a block away, down a slight hill. It was as I made my way toward the hotel from the streetcar stop that I started getting emotional. How different would our cities and lives be had Dr. King’s life not been taken?

The next day I ventured back to the area south of downtown Memphis where the National Civil Rights Museum is located, attached to the former Lorraine Motel. My schedule didn’t allow for time to see the museum but I wanted some daytime pictures. Besides, the $12 admission fee seemed a bit steep especially considering I’m usually not a fan of static museum displays. Then I saw something totally unexpected.

An anti-museum banner at a table on the edge of the grounds. Yes, a protest calling for people to boycott the National Civil Rights Museum.


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Walking In Memphis… & Little Rock

I’m planning a road trip to visit the family in Oklahoma. Instead of my usual route directly on I-44 I’m taking a quick detour through Memphis & Little Rock. The main goal is to experience Memphis’ Mainstreet Trolley and Little Rock’s River Rail.

While I am in those cities I also want to check out some modern in-fill projects, New Urbanist projects and other vibrant areas. The problem is, I don’t know where to find what I’m looking for. So, I’m open to suggestions you may have on places to visit in Memphis & Little Rock. I will have only a few hours in each city and will be spending a night in Little Rock.

So, if you can think of urban projects or places to visit in either city please use the comments below. If you’ve got links to websites with helpful information please include those as well.

– Steve

Local Stores Offer More Humor Than Chains

Seattle’s City Market store offers a humorous take on current affairs to attract customers. A friend of mine sent me this image he took while walking home from work the other day. Apparently this local market is known for its signs. My friend wrote in his email:

These are the folks that brought us “The Passion of the Sandwich” and “Salvador Deli”

Humor is one of the things seldom expected from big national chain stores or even regional chains but is often the hallmark of the business owner behind the counter at a locally owned business. Yet one more reason to skip the chains.

– Steve

Planes, Trains, Automobiles or Bus?

A few days ago I did a post about seeing all the lights of commuters coming to St. Louis from the hinterlands as I drove to Oklahoma for the holiday weekend. Yesterday someone placed the following comment on that post:

Steve, I am surprised you took an automobile to Oklahoma instead of either a bus or train. Isn’t that being a bit hypocritical?

Interesting question. Typically I’d just do a simply reply to that comment and that would be that. But instead I thought this worthy of a fresh new post.

In the 15+ years I’ve lived in St. Louis I’ve gone back to Oklahoma City to visit my family many times. Most have been by car while a few have been by plane. None have been by bus or train.
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