Heritage Hills, Oklahoma City Explained

Heritage Hills
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:United States
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:Oklahoma
Subdivision Type2:Counties
Subdivision Name2:Oklahoma
Subdivision Type3:City
Subdivision Name3:Oklahoma City
Unit Pref:US
Area Total Sq Mi:0.24
Area Land Sq Mi:0.24
Area Water Sq Mi:0.0
Population As Of:2020
Population Total:1189
Population Density Sq Mi:4954.2
Postal Code Type:ZIP code
Postal Code:73103
Area Code Type:Area code
Area Code:Area code 405
Heritage Hills Historic & Architectural District
Location:Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Architect:Multiple
Architecture:Multiple
Added:June 4, 1979
Built:1903
Refnum:79002006

Heritage Hills is a historic neighborhood near downtown Oklahoma City.[1] It is known for its historic homes and mansions, some of which are the largest in the city, and the annual Heritage Hills Historic Homes and Gardens Tour. The area is home to Henry Overholser's Overholser Mansion[2] as well as the Hales Mansion. Heritage Hills is bordered by Mesta Park to the west and north, Heritage Hills East to the east, and Midtown to the south.

History

Heritage Hills is Oklahoma City's first historic preservation district.[3] The name "Heritage Hills" was acquired in 1969 and the neighborhood is a conglomerate of several additions with development beginning just after 1900 and largely complete by 1930.[4] Additions that make up Heritage Hills are Harndale, West Highland Parked Addition, Colcord Heights Addition, Classen's Highland Parked Addition, Winan's Highland Addition, and Winan's Second Addition. The establishment of Heritage Hills as a historic preservation district began when leaders from these neighborhood associations came together to form the Historic Preservation Commission to fight the widening proposal of NW 16th Street. These additions were collectively once known as "Highland Park" and "The Highlands" in advertisements from 1902 and 1904 respectively.[5] The Overholser Mansion was the first mansion to begin construction and was, at the time, located away from the city.

Architecture

Single-family detached houses are the dominant structures in Heritage Hills, with multi-family housing to a lesser extent. Various styles of architecture are represented throughout the neighborhood, including Châteauesque, Italian Renaissance Revival, Prairie School, Greek Revival, Neoclassical, American Craftsman, Colonial/Georgian Revival, Mission Revival, Tudor Revival, American Foursquare, and Dutch Colonial Revival.

Heritage Hills' largest house, and largest in Oklahoma City, is the Hales Mansion, spanning 20021square feet. The Châteauesque-style Overholser Mansion, the neighborhood's second largest house, is a historic house museum and is open to the public with guided tours.

Located to the southwest adjacent to Heritage Hills is the Gaylord-Pickens Museum, home to the Oklahoma Hall of Fame and located in the Neoclassical-style, former headquarters of Mid-Continent Life Insurance Company, built in 1926.

Demographics

There are 493 households in Heritage Hills with a total population of 1,188. The racial make-up is 86.5% White, 1.0% Black, 1.7% Native American, 6.1% Asian, 3.6% two or more races, and 1.1% some other race. 1.9% of the total population is Hispanic or Latino of any race.

The median household income is $141,875.[6]

The educational attainment of adults 25 years and older with a Bachelor's degree or higher is 81.1%

Politics

Heritage Hills is located in a politically Democratic area, being represented by Democrats Jason Dunnington in the Oklahoma House of Representatives (District 88) and Kay Floyd in the Oklahoma Senate (District 46). Al McAffrey, who lives in the adjacent Mesta Park neighborhood, was the state's first LGBT person to be elected to the Oklahoma Legislature, representing House District 88 from 2006 to 2012, and then representing Senate District 46 from 2012 to 2015. Kay Floyd, the state's first lesbian to be elected to the state legislature, succeeded McAffrey both in the House and Senate.

The precinct in which Heritage Hills is located within voted 61.4% for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 United States Presidential election, while voting only 28.7% for Donald Trump, and 9.9% for Gary Johnson.[7]

Notable residents

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. Book: Lawrence Richard Rodgers. Canaan Bound: The African-American Great Migration Novel. 1997. University of Illinois Press. 978-0-252-06605-4. 162–.
  2. Web site: Heritage Hills Homes Open for Tours Today. October 21, 1984. NewsOK (The Oklahoman).
  3. Web site: A Golden Tour of Heritage Hills - 405 Magazine - September 2016 - Oklahoma City. www.405magazine.com.
  4. Web site: Heritage Hills Historic District, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma County, Oklahoma City, OK, 73103, Residential Neighborhood, Single Family. www.livingplaces.com.
  5. Book: Blackburn, Bob. 1990. Heritage Hills: Preservation of a Historic Neighborhood. 11. 0-86546-077-9.
  6. Web site: Justice Map - Visualize race and income data for your community.. www.justicemap.org.
  7. Web site: How Oklahoma Voted: Interactive Maps with Precinct-Level Results.