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The Crestwood Neighborhood Association met November 12, 2019 at the home of Bill and Nancy Kitchen and new officers were elected, as follows: Bill Kitchen as President, Doris Carder as Vice President, Timothy Dang as Secretary and Austin Willett as Treasurer. We are happy to report that Jon Franklin and Erin Holstein volunteered to add new plants to the entry planters on both the East and West Ends of 19th Street; Thien Trang Dang volunteered to put together a Newsletter for distribution in January; and Micah LeGall agreed to continue to manage the Summer Yard-of-the-Month awards – this comes with a $50 gift card from TLC Garden Centers. Doris was kind enough to award our past President, Justin Cliburn, with a plaque honoring his contributions to the neighborhood as he served as our President for several years until his wife, Deanne, took over last year. We appreciate all that turned out for the meeting.
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 You may notice new decals atop the pet waste stations located along the 19th Street median. They serve to remind dog walkers that the waste bags are purchased by the Crestwood Neighborhood Association with money donated by residents. They are not maintained by the City of Oklahoma City, although that is a reasonable assumption. What do you think of them?
The OKC Real Estate Show highlighted Crestwood with its most recent episode. Their interview with the Crestwood Neighborhood Association president begins at the 15:00 mark.
 The Crestwood neighborhood will be one of the destinations for a new bus tour operated by the Oklahoma City Real Estate Show. CNA President Justin Cliburn was interviewed by tour host Landon Whitt, and his interview will air during the tour and on the podcast. The bus tour will occur September 25.
Meeting Minutes – June 13, 2017
Present: Justin Cliburn (President) Francoise Bigot (Board Member) Micah Legall (VP) Dan Keefe (Board Member) Alicia Miller (Board Member) Greg Ennis (Board Member) Deanne Cliburn (Board Member) Chris Turner (Board Member) Nancy Kitchen (Board Member) Bill Kitchen Henry Miller Ennis (Social Director at will) Opening: Justin began meeting at 7:08 PM. In the Secretary’s absence, Nancy took the meeting minutes. New Business:
Meeting was adjourned at approximately 7:30 PM. Next Board Meeting: Tuesday, July 11, 2017 By Crestwood neighbor Kimberly McCauley
The Crestwood neighborhood as we know it is the result of one man's vision almost 100 years ago. John J. Harden, one of the richest men in Oklahoma in the 1920s, used his business acumen and relationships with both state and national political figures to grow much of Oklahoma City “from the shadows.”
Harden had Irish roots but was born in New York and fell in love with a woman named Frances Hale of Nebraska. Her father, David Hale, was one of Nebraska’s most influential political and business leaders of the last quarter of the 19th century. After marrying Frances and having their first daughter, they moved to El Reno just a year after statehood. Harden immediately jumped into investing. He started with $24,000 and developed the Lakeview Second Addition in El Reno and the College Addition in Vinita in northeast Oklahoma. Soon, hard times hit and he had to sell the remaining lots for a mere $300. But that didn’t stop him or slow him down. He went on to complete subdivisions in Ohio and South Texas. After time developing “out in the country” of Oklahoma City and cemeteries in Ohio, he moved closer to the area we now call home. In August 1924, Harden and his partner Roscoe Farmer paid $55,000 for a “barren prairie” close to what is currently Northwest 23rd Street and May Avenue. While he was going to call it Jones Park Addition, he ended up calling the new development Crestwood. He planted 800 shade trees and immediately started building houses. His company arranged with the bank to start two to three houses each week for six months. It was the biggest real estate development in 1925. Harden continued to develop in surrounding states and grew more and more popular throughout the area. In 1925, The Daily Oklahoman asked harden to build its “ideal home” in the Crestwood neighborhood. That home is still located at 2741 NW 17th St. The exposure Harden gained from the “ideal home” boosted his home sales, and he quickly capitalized on the free publicity, not only selling homes, but financing them as well. He formed John J. Harden Inc. to provide financing to people who wanted to purchase a house but couldn’t afford to outright. This gave even more couples the opportunity to become homeowners, and Crestwood was better for it. Harden sold homes just as quickly as he built them. The homes sold on average for an insanely-low $5,000 (about $70,000 today). They ranged from a five-room bungalow on Northwest 18th Street for $3,895 to a colonial two-story brick-and-frame six-room home for $9,500. Harden was a master marketer and knew how to sell. At one point in 1926, he even gave away a new Ford sedan to lure potential homebuyers. With Harden’s marketing acumen, combined with low prices and high quality, it took less than four years to sell every house in the development. Soon after, Crestwood was one of the most desirable places to live in the growing Oklahoma City metro. With the development’s success, churches and retail started to move in, creating further draw to the area that once was a “barren prairie.” Harden became the richest man in Oklahoma in 1925. But, with the rising fame, also came opposition. Many saw him as a bully taking over rather than a businessman enriching the area. In 1927, Carl C. Magee, after moving to Oklahoma City from New Mexico and having a short acquaintance with Harden, launched into a personal attack on Harden that in “unequaled in the annals of Oklahoma reporting.” This attack and volatile public relationship lasted for years. But it didn’t stop Harden. In the bed of controversy, he proposed to the City Council to build a large building along with sheds for fresh produce sellers. June 16, 1928 was the first day of business for the Farmer’s Market. While attacks continued toward Harden, in its first year alone, the Farmer’s Market produced sales of $565,855 (over $8 million today). Stalls continued to be added and in 1931 the sales for the year reached an astronomical $1.2 million (over $19 million today). Fruit producers and farmers came from as far away as Arkansas, Southern Missouri, Kansas, Texas, and Colorado to sell their crops in the Farmer’s Market building that still stands today. John Harden did so much for Oklahoma City and his impact is still seen in the beautiful buildings that remain. In addition to Crestwood and the Oklahoma City Farmer's Market, he developed the Linwood Place, Linwood Second, Edgemere Park neighborhoods, as well as others. There is so much more to the story than could be contained in this short article. You can learn more by reading Out from the Shadows: The Life of John J. Harden by Bob Burke, which is the primary source for this article. Kimberly McCauley is a small business owner living in the Crestwood neighborhood. If you see her, say hi. by Alicia Miller If you were thinking about cleaning out your closets to get rid of unwanted items and making a little money in the process, then you're in luck! Crestwood has scheduled a day when everyone in the neighborhood is encouraged to have a garage sale. We will announce on our website, Facebook and Nextdoor that this is a Saturday when shoppers can drive around our neighborhood for lots of garage sale bargains! Other surrounding neighborhoods will also be participating in community garage sales on that day, so we should have a good amount of traffic to the area.
If you plan on having a garage sale on May 20 (or any other day), a $7 permit is required from the city. Information from the city's website is below:Garage Sale Rules
Present:
Justin and Deanne Cliburn Donna Stiles Greg Ennis & Alicia Miller Ennis Dan Keefe Jenny Downey Chris Turner Francoise Bigot Carter Faison and Russell Vannoy John Encomienda and Andrew Rickel 1. John E. gave an update on the Thursday Neighborhood Cookout. Giveaways will be provided by Shop Good, Plenty Mercantile, Ok Collective, Bark and Breakfast, TLC. Chairs and tables will be provided by Dana Orwig’s church. Hot dogs will be provided by Fat Dog OKC, and Dunkin Donuts will provide donuts. Orders will be taken at the event for Crestwood t-shirts. Additionally side dishes, condiments, burger patties, buns, utensils and plates, and tea are being donated. Please feel free to bring whatever you would like to provide. 2. Discussion was held regarding a neighborhood patrol. John E. reached out to Mesta Park, Heritage Hills, and Heritage Hills East – these three neighborhoods have gone in together to pay for an off-duty police officer to patrol their neighborhoods 18 out of 24 hours. The wage of the police officer is $20 per hour and the neighborhood is responsible for providing a vehicle. After discussion it was deemed cost prohibitive for Crestwood to do the same. 3. Little Blitz update- Justin C. updated the group that the cleanup will be held on April 1, 2017. All are welcome to come and volunteer. 4. A neighbor e-mailed the Crestwood Association regarding the possibility of a neighborhood garage sell. It used to be held annually. Alicia M.E. will follow up with interested parties and report back at the next meeting. 5. Donations for brown mulch are being accepted for the 19th St. median. Please bring them during the litter blitz on April 1st. 6. The next Crestwood meeting will be held at 7 p.m. on May 11, 2017 on the 19th St. median (weather permitting). Meeting concluded at 7:33 p.m.  We hate to see these neighbors go, but their home at 2805 NW 18th is a great house to have on the market. It is over 1,900 square feet and has three bedrooms and two bathrooms on two floors. The home is one block away from the beautiful 19th Street median and is surrounded by great neighbors. From the listing: Classically beautiful Crestwood home packed with amenities. This 1921 beauty has features the modern buyer loves and all the charm of classic twenties construction to boot. Not all 20's homes have an indoor utility/Mudroom with plenty of space for a washer and dryer, plus a pantry for storage. Another wonderful and unexpected feature is the large master bedroom with 2 nice sized closets. Plus this home has two FULL baths, one downstairs and one upstairs! Of course this home has all the classic features one hopes for in Crestwood, hardwood floors, tiled mock fireplace,builtins for books, linens, drawers for storage, a saddleback staircase, builtin china hutch and a porch ready for relaxing. Come and visit this home, with all the character of the past and the conveniences of today!  This two-bedroom home at 2505 NW 22nd has been completely remodeled with an open floor plan and is move-in ready. It is 1,198 square feet and is close to Cleveland Elementary with easy access to NW 23rd Street. From the listing: A fabulous home where historical charm meets a new open floor plan. This home has been completely remodeled and is move-in ready. The kitchen features all new cabinets with a farmhouse sink, a large island boasting a stainless gas stove & a beautiful granite countertop, all new fixtures, with stainless steel appliances. All new paint and trim work throughout the home, hardwood floors and carpeted bedrooms. Beadboard ceilings through living areas with a custom sliding barn door. Updated windows throughout allow so much light in while keeping the home energy efficient. Focal point in the living area is the amazing original fireplace. Both bedrooms are oversized and are inviting, homey spaces. There is a large backyard with a partially covered deck great for entertaining! This charming home also has the original single car garage/workshop recently painted to match the home with a new matching roof. Too many more features to mention. Come check it out!! Meeting started at 7 p.m Present:
Meeting adjourned at 7:56 p.m. |
CrestwoodGeneral news and events for the Crestwood Neighborhood Association Archives
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Our community is over 90 years old, and we are eager to welcome new families into it. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. For any questions, email the CNA president or ask your local Realtor. If you're part of the neighborhood already, join us on Nextdoor.
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