Midtown Tulsa Luxury Homes…a lasting legacy

Midtown Tulsa’s Luxury homes are symbols of a great era in the city’s history, spanning the first 40 years after the turn of the century. The oil wealth created during these early days led to the building of luxury homes throughout the city; with the largest concentration in the area we now call Midtown.

Tulsa enjoyed tremendous growth in the 20’s and 30’s and nowhere was that growth more evident than the building of these luxury Tulsa homes and the development of many outstanding Midtown Tulsa subdivisions. In those days… the oil business was booming, and Tulsa’s real estate and banking expansion was not far behind.

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Many Midtown Neighborhoods Feature Luxurious Homes

It’s noteworthy that unlike some communities of similar size, Tulsa’s Oil mansions are not concentrated in one area. These magnificent Midtown Tulsa luxury homes are scattered throughout a dozen or more neighborhoods. Unfortunately, not all our treasured historic homes have survived, like the Cosdon, Markham and Sinclair homes in the Riverview neighborhood, which all fell to the wrecking ball to make way for new developments.

The neighboring Cosdon and Markham mansions, unquestionably two of Tulsa’s most significant architectural treasures, were destroyed to make way for the 32 story University Club Tower and nearby Mansion House apartments.

Early Oil Barons demanded the finest of everything

Many of the earliest mansions were built in the Maple Ridge neighborhood, after the Glenn Pool oil strike in 1905 and the Cushing strike in 1912. Quite a few of these early oil barons were already wealthy, having relocated to Tulsa from New York City and other east coast communities, seeking even greater riches in the oil patch.

Many of those newcomers were highly educated, cultured and had backgrounds in banking and finance. Some might even have been considered aristocratic and when they built their new homes in Tulsa they insisted on nothing but the finest in design and building materials. Nowhere is that more apparent than the list of notable architects who all contributed designs to Tulsa’s luxury home collection.

Midtown Tulsa’s Luxury Home Architects

Tulsa’s diverse architectural heritage and traditions reflect a blend of talented local architects with well-known national and international architects; who came here to share their genius and talents with the wildly successful oil barons of the day. The list of architects who contributed to Tulsa’s reputation as “City Beautiful” is much to long to list every name. You can however visit the website of the Tulsa Foundation for Architecture where you will find a vast amount of historical information about the city’s pioneering architects.

Some of the most notable architects who designed homes in midtown include Frank Lloyd Wright, Bruce Goff, John Blair, Charles Dilbeck, Donald McCormick, John Duncan Forsyth, Francis Berry Byrne, Joseph Koberling, and Clarence Dillworth Walters to name but a few. The array of architectural styles used by these icons contributed to the diverse tradition of our luxury homes with examples ranging from the Tudor Gothic Revival style of the Gillette Mansion to Joseph Koberling’s nearby Art Deco masterpiece built for the McGay family at 1551 S. Yorktown Ave.

Midtown Tulsa offers diverse architectural styles

A few of the other architectural styles you will find in midtown Tulsa include Georgian Revival, Italian Renaissance, Classic Revival, Collegiate Gothic, Dutch Colonial, Greek Revival, English Tudor, Mediterranean, English Yorkshire Manor House, Neo Classical and many more.

There are numerous books and magazines that have featured these luxury midtown Tulsa homes over the years but none more educational than the 100 Historic Tulsa Homes series published by Tulsa architect John Brooks Walton.

Most Midtown Tulsa neighborhoods have at least some luxury homes, but there are two areas well known for having many of the city’s most opulent, lavish and magnificent homes. The first is Forest Hills, bordered by Utica and Lewis Avenues between 26th St and 31st Street. The other includes several different subdivisions but is commonly referred to as the Woody Crest area, bordered by 26th Pl and 31st Street between Lewis Avenue and Delaware Avenue.