Saturday, October 28, 2006

Historic Neighborhoods: Classen Drive

This post is mainly eye candy and just a few words of one of Oklahoma City's most beautiful historic neighborhoods, the part of Heritage Hills along Classen Drive. I'll add something more "historic" later about Alice Harn and her husband, William, of "Harn Homestead" fame.

An overview map of Heritage Hills and Mesta Park shows the relative location of where today's Saturday morning pics were taken:


More particularly, here's where I took my Saturday morning drive:


Except as otherwise stated, my drive began at NW 13th and proceeded north and then south along Classen Drive which circumvents the very nice Alice Harn Park.

In the following, click any image for a larger pic.

The Mid-Continent Life Insurance Building, now the Oklahoma Heritage Center (for more about that project, see this earlier blog post) provides the southern gateway into the neighborhood:


The southern end of Alice Harn Park quickly becomes visible. Alice Harn, wife of William Harn, owned this area in her own name. In 1910, she gifted the center part of Classen Drive to the city as a park. You'll see a plaque to that effect below. So, here are a few views of the park:







The next pics are from the east side of Classen Drive, driving north.


Looking west across the park from the east side of Classen Drive


At the north end of Classen Drive


Looking easterly at NW 15th Street


Taking a turn west down NW 15th Sreet


A piece of the Baum Building at the end of the block


Returning to Classen Drive Looking north


North end of Classen Drive Looking south at Alice Harn Park


Driving south on west side of Classen Drive






A look easterly across Alice Harn Park


Last, a look west on NW 14th at the south end of Classen Drive

That's it! Ain't Fall grand! Hope you enjoyed the drive!

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great pics Doug! I saw where the system told me you were posting a new photo topic, and thought I'd find a clue as to what it was on here. These are some great pics, especially the last pics, where the fall foliage is a little more apparent. This will all get even better in a few weeks!

Doug Dawg said...

Nick (Spartan?), I don't know what you mean by "the system told me..." ... all of that baffles me ...

Regardless, thanks for commenting and enjoying the lush fall season in Oklahoma City! As you know, Okc's "fall" seasons are ordinarily short lived ... maybe this one will linger longer than most have done!

These pics are also posted at OkMet, a symbonitic locale, as I think you know!

Thanks for posting!

Doug Dawg said...

Whoops! Make that "symbiotic", not "symbonitic", the latter being something I don't know ... I was speaking in tongues, I guess!

Anonymous said...

Ooh, thanks for the pics!

I assume the house which used to be stark white with striking pink trim no longer is, or you'd have a picture of it full-on? It may be the one in pic 08, white with the muted cream trim.

Doug Dawg said...

Todd, not every house in the "loop" is shown and I don't have a specific recollection of what you've described. Sorry to be senile!

Anonymous said...

The house I'm remembering, if it were still painted the way it was 10+ years ago, you'd have noticed & remembered