‘The feel of Gatewood’
Historic neighborhood home tour is Sunday
Knowing he’d need a place to live once he returned to Oklahoma City, Ben Birdwell found himself scrolling through real estate websites during his final months in China last year. He’d scouted neighborhoods during a trip to see family earlier in the year.
“I knew I wanted to live downtown,” he said. “I’d been out of Oklahoma City for a few years, but I saw how the Plaza District had revived and it was pretty cool. So I was looking in Mesta Park, Gatewood and the Paseo.”
Last December, a listing for a Tudor Revival-style home in the Gatewood
Historic District caught his attention, and he sent his father and brother over to look at it.
They gave it a thumbsup, so he bought it sight unseen. When he returned to the States last March, he moved in — no regrets.
“I really like the feel of Gatewood,” he said.
“Most of my neighbors have lived here for 30 years or more. It just has a quaint feeling about it.”
His home at 1928 NW 20 will be among those featured on the 22nd annual Gatewood Home Tour from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.
A bike tour also is planned in conjunction with
Whacky Wheels OKC, 814 W Sheridan Ave., Suite E, with departures at 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.
Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 on tour day. Tickets and more information are available at www.gatewoodokc. com/hometour2018. Tickets can be bought at each stop on tour day.
Birdwell’s home was built in the 1920s, and its timeless vibe provides the perfect backdrop for his eclectic mix of midcentury modern and family heirloom furnishings.
The kitchen is small, which is common in older homes, but it features a green-tile breakfast nook he guesses was added in the 1950s.
For him, though, the home’s charm lies in what hasn’t been changed.
“I walked in the first time and saw the walls were still up,” he said. “So there’s a separate den, living and dining room. I didn’t have to do much other than paint and clean the floors.”
The area that now constitutes Gatewood was settled during the 1889 Land Run, but it remained largely rural until after the turn of the century, when Epworth University — predecessor to Oklahoma City University — was built in the area, drawing more construction activity.
The Gatewood addition itself was platted in 1922 and is now nestled near the heart of the city, its quiet tree-lined streets just a short walk from the teeming energy of the Plaza District.
That proximity is part of what drew Jose Rodriguez and his family to the neighborhood three years ago. He was immediately drawn into the Gatewood Homeowners’ Association, where he now serves as vice president.
“We love this area,” he said. “We’re moving forward, making progress, and I wanted to have a hand in that.”
Activities throughout the year feed that community spirit, ranging from yard competitions to neighbors nights out at Gatewood Elementary School. Carey Place, the neighborhood’s coveted (and long-rumored haunted) enclave, transforms itself into “Scarey Place” every Halloween.
“That’s huge for Halloween,” Rodriguez said. “They close off the street, and it just feels like people are being bused in from all around town. All the neighbors come out, they decorate the houses and they all give candy away. It’s just so much fun.”
The full tour will include:
• Ben Birdwell, 1928 NW 20.
• Meagan and Matt Taylor, 1608 NW 18.
• Damien Allensworth and Susanna Gattoni. 1501 NW 16.
• Flamingo Apartments, 1844 NW 23.
• Maria Rubinho-Watkins and Robert Watkins, garden only, 1935 NW 21.