OK oldtimers, questions about Highley Wildwood, neighborhood close to Sleep Hollow

[biznesschic1959]

I grew up in this area, and always marveled at a home deep in the woods on the end of Highley Drive, in the upper class neighborhood of Wildwood, in NE OKC. In the winter, you can see the large gabled roof from Kelley Ave. The only info I can find on this home is that it was once part of a 350 acre milk farm, and the home was built in 1937. Could this have been part of the Bourne dairy, in which the old building still stands at 58th and MLK? Any information would be appreciated.

[boscorama]

Might be a longshot, but Townley's was on Prospect Ave between 48th and 50th. Well, that was far from 350 acres. I'm familiar with Wildwood but not the specific streets.

[biznesschic1959]

Townley house was on 50th and Prospect. This land would have been around 1 mile west of there, hidden by woods. It is quite possible that the land was owned by the same family, however unlikely.

[UncleCyrus]

Could this have been part of the Bourne dairy, in which the old building still stands at 58th and MLK?

Which building are you referring to? There is an old structure behind the McDonald's that I have been curious about for a long time. Is this the same thing?

[biznesschic1959]

Which building are you referring to? There is an old structure behind the McDonald's that I have been curious about for a long time. Is this the same thing?

No, you would have to turn north on NE 50th street, into the Wildwood neighborhood. It is hidden in the woods. If you are going north on Kelley Ave in the winter when there are no leaves on the trees, you can see the large turret on the roof. I read that the house was the Decorators Showcase house in 1979, but nothing else. The Bourne diary is indeed what you are talking about behind the Family Dollar on MLK.

[RadicalModerate]

It is amazing that you happened to mention this particular property. A while back, on a different thread, I mentioned a house I went to on a sales call that looked a lot like a castle and was in sort of a hidden spot in NE OKC. I couldn't remember exactly where it was but thought I found it at the end of the lane at the end of Highly by searching Google Maps. Just for fun I checked the County Assessors site to see if I could learn who owned it and what it was worth but none of that information seems to be available for that property. It's like a mystery spot.

[biznesschic1959]

It is amazing that you happened to mention this particular property. A while back, on a different thread, I mentioned a house I went to on a sales call that looked a lot like a castle and was in sort of a hidden spot in NE OKC. I couldn't remember exactly where it was but thought I found it at the end of the lane at the end of Highly by searching Google Maps. Just for fun I checked the County Assessors site to see if I could learn who owned it and what it was worth but none of that information seems to be available for that property. It's like a mystery spot.

I found the current owners, and It once belonged to Robert S Kerr in the 1980's, however, Nothing else. I rode my bike in that area when I was a Kid, and was never able to find out.

[bluedogok]

Could some of you be thinking about the old Edwards house on the hill between Lincoln & Kelly and NE 50th & I-44? I know that after John Hoke shut down the Lotus dealership on 8th & Broadway he went to car brokering and moved his publishing business there for a while as well. In the 90's some people from California owned it and put a hydroponic farm greenhouse that you could see from Lincoln. It was a very nice place when Hoke had his office there.
Abandoned Oklahoma - Red Ridge

Here's couple of other links for the Townley and Bourne dairies in the area.
Abandoned Oklahoma - Townley Dairy
Abandoned Oklahoma - Bourne Dairy

[RadicalModerate]

The place I'm talking about is north of 56th and east of Grand past the end of Highley Drive.
(I like your link, btw. Have visited that site a few times.)

[biznesschic1959]

Could some of you be thinking about the old Edwards house on the hill between Lincoln & Kelly and NE 50th & I-44? I know that after John Hoke shut down the Lotus dealership on 8th & Broadway he went to car brokering and moved his publishing business there for a while as well. In the 90's some people from California owned it and put a hydroponic farm greenhouse that you could see from Lincoln. It was a very nice place when Hoke had his office there.
Abandoned Oklahoma - Red Ridge

Here's couple of other links for the Townley and Bourne dairies in the area.
Abandoned Oklahoma - Townley Dairy
Abandoned Oklahoma - Bourne Dairy

This place address is 5701 Highley dr. It was once part of a farm, and was built in 1937. Love your site.

[bluedogok]

This place address is 5701 Highley dr. It was once part of a farm, and was built in 1937. Love your site.

Not my site, just one that I knew had some of the older buildings in the area.

[Pete]

This is 5701 Highley, built in 1937:

[Pete]

There is also a Highley Park in OKC, so I suspect that property plus a lot surrounding it was owned by the Highley family.

[RadicalModerate]

The place I'm referring to is the one to the right of the highlighted area with the circle drive at the end of the lane. A place, btw, that I seem to recall looks very much like the one featured in the street view. Both of the houses may have turrets and may have been built about the same time . . . but I seem to recall that the one I was looking at--maybe 20 years ago?--had a tile roof . . . in need of repair.

[Pete]

The house to the east (5703 Highley Dr.) does have a similar style and was also built in 1937.

However, it's quite a bit smaller than the one at 5701: 1,700 vs. 5,700 square feet.

[RadicalModerate]

Maybe it was the guest house . . . or the servant's quarters. =)
Possibly the grounds and gameskeeper's domicile?

One of the the things I find most interesting about all this is the fact that these are relics of "Rural OKC" as is the case with what used to be Oklahoma County Line BBQ (Gabriellas) and The Haunted House Restaurant. Then there is that other old, intriguing, rock-veneered house on 63rd, a little west of The Cowboy Hall of Fame . . .

Nit-picky attention to detail: How could 5701 and 5703 be on opposite sides of Highley? Did it require a numbering varience to avoid being 5702 or 5704? (Or did the City Limits of Oklahoma City not extend that far out back in 1937? Based on the fact that this is all within the Grand Blvd. Loop, I would guess that they did.)

[Pete]

Found this... Very interesting:

Red Rock Manor, at 5701 Highley, was built for Mr. and Mrs. Mont F. Highley who filled it with antique furniture and ancient oriental rugs. Mrs. Highley, returning from a trip to Europe, designed the house herself and reportedly patterned the entrance after Windsor Castle in England. Highley was a lawyer who served as mayor and city councilman in the early days of Oklahoma City and as an assistant attorney general of Oklahoma.

[Pete]

Much more; this was from a 1979 article preceding a decorator's show house event to be held at Red Rock Manor:

Located at 5701 Highley Drive, the house was built in 1937-38 by Mr. and Mrs. Mont F. Highley in the style of a Norman castle. Long known as Red Rock Manor, the house takes its name from the native stone quarried directly from the site upon which it is built.

Red Rock Manor was designed by the late Mrs. Highley with the aid of an architect. Constructed on a cost-plus basis, the house was built by the late Charles Suttle. It sits on land purchased jointly by Dr. John Riley and the late Mr. Highley. They bought 40 acres of rolling, forested countryside which upon Riley's death, was divided equally between his estate and the Highleys. Highely sold his share, the southern 20 acres and later purchased the remaining acres from the Riley estate. Red Rock Manor sits on about five acres of that property.

Originally planned to be much larger than it is, the house is inspired by Norman castles which Mrs. Highley had seen in her travels abroad. The Normans, who were French, invaded England in 1066 and built numerous forest of “keeps”. This style, associated with medieval Britain, includes much stone, thick walls to support multi-storied buildings, round rather than pointed arches and, frequently, cylindrical towers.

An interesting mixture of domestic and imported workmanship, Red Rock Manor features a living room fireplace made in 1620 in Salisbury, England. Among other imported items are many of the home's original light fixtures. Ordered from Italian iron workers by the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York, they were acquired by the Highleys when the hotel decided on something more contemporary. Another foreign-made object is the tile portrait of Our Lady of Guadalupe, made in Mexico, which is in the private chapel.

The basement of the manor house was created by dynamiting the native bedrock beneath its site. The cavity the was faced with dressed stone. Some of the walls are more than three feet thick and reinforced with steel. Now shingled, the roof originally was copper – the largest private residence in the U.S. Entirely roofed with copper at the time of construction.

One report says that the roofers were Easterners who were unfamiliar with the ferocity of Oklahoma wind and hail storms. They failed to use thick enough sheeting and the weather destroyed the expensive roof.

The front door to the mansion, reputed to weigh 500 pounds, is of black walnut and demanded especially designed hinges to support it. Throughout the home, the fine rare woods are used extensively. The living room is paneled in wild cherry; the porch and bedroom balconies are of aged oak and much of the rest of the house is paneled in black walnut.

The tower bedroom on the third floor was built for one of the Highleys' sons who was more than 6 feet tall. In order for the bathtub to accommodate him, it had to be extended into the wall, requiring some skillful tile work around the area.

Devout Catholics, the Highleys included in their home one of Oklahoma's few private chapels.

Across the ravine, the Highleys built a spacious and well-equipped stable with living quarters. Now a private home, the stable housed their pleasure horses and the liquor stock. The servants necessary for the smooth running of such a large home where entertaining took place, where quartered over the garage.

[biznesschic1959]

Much more; this was from a 1979 article preceding a decorator's show house event to be held at Red Rock Manor:

You guys are the BEST! I have spent the better part of 40 years trying to find out about this house. Graduated from Bishop McGuiness HS in 1977. I am now living in Virginia, and plan on visiting my mother in the spring of 2013. Perhaps some of us can meet up at Leo's BBQ, (If it is still there), and talk about old times. I will start a thread after the new years. Please think about coming. Once again, thanks.

[biznesschic1959]

Thanks Pete. They were Catholics, so the may have attended the church and school that I attended, Corpus Christi, which is around 16th and Kelly. Thanks for solving the mystery.

[Pete]

Thanks for such an interesting question. I never knew this house was even there -- what an amazing property and back-story.


I'd love to find some photos. The few in the Oklahoman archives are of very poor quality.

Hopefully now that this subject has come to light some will surface.

[Pete]

Some photos... First two are current; next three are from 1938 and last one is from late 70's:

[biznesschic1959]

Thanks Pete. That area is rich in history. It was considered the country from statehood to the 1930's. The Braniff family built their estates, as well as the Everest family, which is now the white house off of 63rd and Kelly Ave. The elite would picnic at the spring lake pond, as well as Lincoln park, using the last stop of the OKC trolley. I have been trying to find picture of the Braniff estate, which would have been close to the Cowboy Hall of Fame, to no avail. I may research for a book, on the history north of the state Capitol, from Sante Fe to Bryant ave, whereas, there is little written on this area.

[RadicalModerate]

Apparently, Robert S. Kerr III (former Lt. Governor) owned this place for awhile . . .

[Pete]

Here's a photo from 1958 that shows the old Braniff Estate at the lower left.

This is looking from NW to SE and the intersection is Lincoln with what is now I-44.

And you can see the property from this 1969 aerial:

http://www.okctalk.com/okc-1969/2939...-santa-fe.html