Maple Ridge, Tulsa facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Maple Ridge Historic Residential District
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Panorama from the Madison Avenue roundabout
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| Location | Tulsa, OK |
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| Architect | Blair, John |
| Architectural style | Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals, Prairie School, Bungalow/craftsman |
| NRHP reference No. | 83002138 |
| Added to NRHP | April 6, 1983 |
Maple Ridge is a special old neighborhood in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It is known for its beautiful historic homes. This area is bordered by a highway called the Inner Dispersal Loop to the north. Hazel Boulevard is its southern edge. Peoria Avenue is to the east, and the Midland Valley Railroad is to the west. A part of the northern area, between 15th and 21st Streets, has special rules to protect its history. It is called North Maple Ridge.
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A Special Place in History
Maple Ridge Historic District (MRHD) was the first neighborhood in Tulsa to be listed on the Oklahoma Landmarks Inventory. This means it was recognized as an important historical site in Oklahoma.
Why Maple Ridge is Important
On April 6, 1983, Maple Ridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This is a list of places in the United States that are important to history. It was added because of its history and its architecture. The important time period for the district is from 1912 to 1932. During this time, about 700 single-family homes were built here.
The Maple Ridge area grew at the same time as the banking and petroleum (oil) industries in Tulsa. Many people who built homes in Maple Ridge became wealthy from big oil discoveries. These included the Glenn Pool Oil Strike in 1905 and the Cushing strike in 1912.
Homes and Styles
Maple Ridge is one of the largest historic areas in Tulsa. It includes many different housing developments. The first one was called the Southside Addition, created in 1907. A businessman named Grant C. Stebbins helped develop the area. He even built his own home there in 1915.
Even though homes were built over almost 30 years, the different parts of Maple Ridge look similar. They have large lots and big homes. These homes followed some of the state's first rules for new neighborhoods. You can see almost every kind of architectural style here.
The northern part of the neighborhood is the oldest. It has many two-story mansions made of brick and wood siding. These homes mostly date back to around 1912. The central part has even larger mansions that were built a bit later. The south and southwest areas were built from the late 1920s to the early 1930s. These homes are smaller, often two-story brick bungalows. You can also find homes with Spanish stucco and other classic styles.
Many different architectural styles can be seen in Maple Ridge. These include Italianate, Georgian Revival, Neo-Classical Revival, Federal, and Colonial styles. You will also find Gothic, Tudor, Jacobethan, several Prairie styles, Bungalows, and Cottage styles.
Famous Homes and People
The former home of Mr. and Mrs. William G. Skelly is in Maple Ridge. William G. Skelly was a very important oil businessman. The Skellys bought their house at 2107 Madison Avenue in 1923.
After William Skelly passed away, his wife, Gertrude, gave the house and its furniture to the University of Tulsa (TU) in 1957. TU sold the house to private owners in 1959. However, TU bought it back in 2012. Today, it is called the Skelly House and is where the president of the University of Tulsa lives. This house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
Other important people who lived in Maple Ridge include J. J. McGraw and Arthur Newlin. They were the president and vice-president of Exchange National Bank. At the time, this was the largest bank in Tulsa. It is now part of BOK, which is the largest bank in Oklahoma. Waite Phillips, another businessman, also lived here. He built the Philtower and the Philbrook Museum.
Protecting the Neighborhood
The Maple Ridge Association was started in 1964. This group has been active ever since. They work to protect and preserve the historic character of the Maple Ridge neighborhood.
- [pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NRHP/Text/83002138.pdf NRHP Nomination Form - Maple Ridge Addition]
