Guidelines - City of Oklahoma City
Guidelines - City of Oklahoma City
Guidelines - City of Oklahoma City
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Preservation Standards AND <strong>Guidelines</strong> August 1, 2012<br />
Signs like this one mark the borders <strong>of</strong> the<br />
Shepherd Historic District.<br />
Shepherd Historic District<br />
Listed in the National Register <strong>of</strong> Historic Places: June 20, 1997<br />
Criterion C, NRIS #97000612<br />
Zoned Historic Preservation: 1998<br />
Period <strong>of</strong> Significance: 1931-1941 with specific emphasis on 1931<br />
Part <strong>of</strong> the homestead granted to George Shepherd in 1896 is now the Shepherd Historic District, an<br />
important historic neighborhood developed largely in the 1920s and 1930s near the popular early 20th<br />
Century Shepherd‘s Lake swimming lake and bathhouse. Shepherd is characterized by a variety <strong>of</strong><br />
brick and stone Tudor Revival and later modified Colonial Revival style houses, with many large trees<br />
and a neighborhood park. Tucked between Shepherd Mall (on the site <strong>of</strong> the 19th century Shepherd<br />
farmstead) and Pennsylvania Avenue from NW 25th Street to NW 29th Street, the neighborhood has<br />
long had active residents who are providing stewardship and an active revitalization ethic for this important<br />
historic district.<br />
1.8 ARCHITECTURAL STYLES AND<br />
TRADITIONS IN OKLAHOMA CITY<br />
The architectural style <strong>of</strong> a house, apartment or commercial building is a convenient way to summarize<br />
the form <strong>of</strong> the structure: its type or use, its scale, shape and interior arrangement, and its details, including<br />
materials and ornamentation. Most American dwellings can be categorized by one or more<br />
architectural styles. Historic properties in <strong>Oklahoma</strong> <strong>City</strong> generally reflect the styles and fashions popular<br />
across the United States during the first half <strong>of</strong> the twentieth century.<br />
A building that was designed in a particular style is not a random collection <strong>of</strong> individual architectural<br />
parts, elements or details. The features <strong>of</strong> the building are combined to present a coherent image: windows<br />
and doors proportional to the dimensions <strong>of</strong> the house, building materials complementing the<br />
scale and shape <strong>of</strong> the building; porches, ro<strong>of</strong>s and other details reflecting the time period and fashions<br />
influencing the builder. Technology, available materials, fashion trends, climate and environment, topography,<br />
transportation patterns, family needs and budget all affected the selection <strong>of</strong> an architectural<br />
style when a dwelling was constructed.<br />
<strong>Oklahoma</strong> <strong>City</strong> Historic Preservation and Historic Landmark zoned districts were all developed with a<br />
local building and annexation boom beginning about 1900. The styles and architectural influences <strong>of</strong><br />
the buildings in the districts reflect the stylistic fashions prevalent in the western United States during<br />
the various periods <strong>of</strong> their development. By 1900, pr<strong>of</strong>essional periodicals such as Western Architect,<br />
Gustav Stickley‘s Craftsman magazine, general publications such as the Ladies Home Journal, and<br />
regionally, Holland‟s Magazine, were among the many publications that provided homeowners and<br />
builders with prolific images <strong>of</strong> fashionable houses in the latest styles. Specific designs, with detailed<br />
building plans could even be purchased from ―catalogues,‖ and ―kit houses‖ arrived by railroad car at<br />
the owner‘s local lumber dealer with pre-cut lumber and all necessary materials ready for assembly on<br />
site. Local architects and builders <strong>of</strong>fered their clients an abundance <strong>of</strong> plan and detail <strong>of</strong>ferings. Even<br />
popular culture influenced house style choices: some believe that the popularity <strong>of</strong> historical revival<br />
styles during the 1920s stemmed in part from the romantic images <strong>of</strong> faraway places and picturesque<br />
settings portrayed in the movies, which the average American attended twice each week.<br />
<strong>Oklahoma</strong> <strong>City</strong> Historic Districts 29