2009
Home & Garden Tour
1830 NW 18th
The enduring quality of this Colonial Revival brick home built for Louis and Ora Mersfelder in 1928, has been preserved throughout its 81 year history. Much of that is due to the fact that this home has had few owners and those have been long term. While this home has seen multiple renovations and additions it has a stately bearing that gives a feeling of great permanence and dignity. Its history lives through the continuity of connection.
The Butchers, Bob and Eloise, bought the home from the Mersfelders in 1951. Their third son, Tom, was born about this time and they added a kitchen and central air conditioning…lofty living for the era! Bob Snead redecorated the home for them and they brought top soil in and had the entire yard professionally landscaped including adding a sprinkler system.
In 1966, Eloise heard that Jerry and Ann Fent were looking for a place in St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Parish (Bob Butcher was Ann’s mothers’ first cousin.) The Butchers, after 15 years, were ready to move on, so the Fents and their two children moved in…just two weeks before their third child was born. In the late 70’s the Fents added a fourth bedroom and enclosed a porch adding a second upstairs bathroom. Much of the Butchers’ original landscaping remains and three pecan trees, planted by the Mersfelders on the west side of the home, are still bearing three different varieties of pecans.
All three of the Fent children attended Rosary Elementary, Bishop McGuinness High School, went through college and out into the world from the safety of the family nest. Jerry retired from the Municipal Counselors’ Office in 1999, but still works part time for them. They have lived in St. Francis of Assisi Parish all of their married lives and in this house for 43 years.
owner John Holmes
Built as a four-plex in 1921, this two-story Prairie School apartment building had seen better days. Not long ago, many of its several dozen windows were boarded up but John Holmes and his partner, Chris Johnson, saw the potential in this sadly neglected building and decided to do something different with it rather than restore it back to a multi-family dwelling. They opted instead to give it new life by transforming it into a single-family, 4000 sq. ft. home.
Both John and Chris admire older homes and feel very lucky to have been able to help this wonderful established neighborhood rebuilt an important piece of its architectural history. Chris built a successful sports apparel business in OKC while John has worked in several cities in the field of Interior Design. John is now working on an MFA in Interior Design at UCO in Edmond. When the opportunity to purchase this building came open, they jumped at the chance...finding both the structure and foundation of the home in good shape. As the home was being remodeled, several neighbors stopped by to express their appreciation at the homes restoration. A similar home down the street had burned the ground because it had been neglected. Happily, that was not the fate for this sturdy survivor.
Some lucky family will no-doubt someday be spreading out comfortably in the 4 bedrooms and multiple living spaces (as well as filling up the four-car garage in back) but, today, people will get a unique opportunity to see the finished product in its virgin state along with a pictorial display that chronicles the transformation process.
PhotoArt Studios
owner Keith Rinearson
First on the tour in 2006, this 50’s era Commercial Style building, has also entered another phase of its owners’ plan for the space. The front serves as a personal gallery (Rinearson is the Photography Director for several Southwest Publishing magazines and Corporate Photographer for Chesapeake Energy) and the rear houses both his studio and personal space. Upon entering the private area, one can see it was meant for both entertaining and relaxation as it features a full-service kitchen, combination living/recreation area and bar.
Many of the buildings original fixtures are still visible. The communication tower on the roof was used to contact service truck drivers as they delivered and picked up the customers’ dry cleaning. Wrapped with blue lights that often glow at night, the metal structure serves as a tangible connection to the past. The fire-proof doors installed when the building served as a dry-cleaning establishment are still in place (separating the studio from the living space) and are still functional. The fur vault now houses photography equipment and functions as a darkroom.
Appropriate re-use of old buildings is often vital to their survival and PhotoArt Studios is a great example of one person’s determination to fit a modern lifestyle seamlessly into an historic footprint.
Velvet Monkey Salon and private loft apartment
owner Estrella Evans
While most home and garden tours focus on the traditional historic homes, we are happy to be able to include several alternative spaces on tour this year. One of these is actually a Phase II showing of the old New State Ice Company building at 1701 NW 16th. This Commercial Style Building was constructed in 1927 and was a functioning ice house, servicing the surrounding residential neighborhoods, for many years. Sometimes used for storage, it sat vacant for decades and was purchased in early 2008 by Estrella Evans, owner of the Velvet Monkey Hair Salons. Evans saw great potential in this vast industrial building and decided to take advantage of the mixed-use zoning. She created both a fabulous Manhattan style interior for her large loft apartment and a new flagship hair salon. Using the warehouse building frame as a backdrop, Evans introduced bold authentic vintage elements into both the residential and commercial spaces.
During its Phase I showing last year, the apartment was still in its fledgling state and the commercial space was completely unfinished. This year, the apartment is a wildly inviting mix of old and new, functional and purely decorative, vastly spacious yet curiously intimate. It's difficult to imagine a place more riveting and reflective of personal taste than this. The hair salon, which opened in May of this year is filled with the modern equipment one expects to find in a well-run establishment--it was voted 2009 Best New Hair Salon by the Gazette. Decorated in a 1980's New York Industrial style, the salon has a huge painted mural on one wall and authentic vintage lounge furniture. Beverages are self-serve from a 1950's pink Frigidaire...naturally. Around the corner from the hair salon is the co-op art gallery which leads to the vintage clothing boutique done in what Evans calls "polyester monkey vintage"...an experience all by itself. If you're seeking clothing from the 1950--1980 era (mens and womens) or authentic vintage home decor, this is where to look!
While alternative, and mixed-use, spaces have been available in downtown OKC for a few years, these are still very unexpected in residential areas. The people lucky, and astute, enough to have found them have discovered a unique new facet of urban living. This particular space has found a great re-use and lends itself perfectly to the harmony of its combined commercial and residential environments.
Doug and Merrily Leach
The lovely gardens surrounding their two-story brick Colonial Revival home, built in 1925, have been a labor of love for Doug and Merrily Leach. "Our backyard was a vast wasteland," says Merrily, "and the area behind the garage was a dandelion lover's delight." The Leachs experimented with many types of plants, shrubs, and trees once they realized they had essentially a shaded area and this lead them to plant lots of hostas. They also discovered that some roses will grow and bloom in the shade and that "sedums will grow in anything." Smoke trees add color and Harry Lauder walking sticks add character. While some plants they've tried have not survived Oklahoma's hot dry summers, through continued efforts they've created a garden of beauty for the entire family, including the Labs who decided that walking "paths" needed to be incorporated into the plan. A "quiet " sitting area was installed behind the garage. An especially cherished feature is the three year old survivor tree presented to their daughter, Lauren, who was at the downtown YMCA during the 1995 Murrah Building bombing.
Mark MacDonald
Mark MacDonald purchased his 1924 one-story Bungalow/Craftsman home in 1995. While he says he has spent "many years slowly making [his] house a home" that he truly loves, he says "the water feature in the front yard was done in one day, the [large] Koi pond in the back yard was hand dug in about four days." He also says "the water gardens add a sense of calmness and natural beauty and continues to bring [him] great joy." He highly recommends them to others! Several large colorful Koi swim lazy laps in the crystal clear water of the natural stone pond and provide a soothing diversion. An expansive deck,partially covered by a pegola offers comfortable seating. Realizing that Oklahoma often presents challenges to colorful landscapes, Mark chose to plant evergreens around the gardens so he would always have something beautiful to view. Home Tour refreshments will be served in Mark's backyard and the prizes for the drawing will be on display there as well.
