Crown Heights

Crown Heights

Crown Heights Historic District was developed in the 1930’s and 1940’s three miles north of the Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, central business district and two miles northwest of the state capitol. Located from Northwest 36th to the north side of Northwest 42nd, North Western Avenue to North Walker Avenue, the district is a quarter-square mile in area. Primarily residential, Crown Heights includes 504 buildings, of which 470 are contributing. There are three parks, two of which were established during the neighborhood’s development and are contributing sites. A distinctive feature is the length of most blocks, which at about 1300 feet is two or three times longer than the design prevailing at the time. The developer of the neighborhood, G.A. Nichols Inc., also built many of the houses. Houses were required to be brick, brick veneer, stone or stucco. Additionally, each block had different requirements for minimum price and number of stories. The dominant architectural styles are Tudor Revival and Colonial Revival. Other styles found in Crown Heights are Mission/Spanish Colonial Revival, Monterey, Classical Revival, Italian Renaissance, French Eclectic, International, and Minimal Traditional. The two large churches facing Western Avenue were built during the same time that the neighborhood developed. A Mission/Spanish Colonial Revival commercial strip in the southwest corner of the neighborhood was developed concurrently with the neighborhood but has been substantially altered since that time. Another commercial area was constructed in 1944 on the central south end of the neighborhood at Shartel Avenue and Northwest 36th. Most buildings in Crown Heights are in good or excellent condition. Surrounding neighborhoods have developed somewhat sporadically compared to Crown Heights, with older neighborhoods to the south and west and newer development to the north and east; most of those areas are primarily residential development with the exception of limited commercial activities adjacent to the western and southern boundaries of Crown Heights. Throughout and since its development, the Crown Heights Historic District has maintained its historical and architectural integrity.