By 1910 a trolley was running down NW 18th Street. Its route connected a 1902 plat called University Addition to downtown Oklahoma City, and houses went up along the line in every size the neighborhood would eventually hold. More than a century later, the Mesta Park Neighborhood Association has named this December's Holiday Home Tour after that street.
The 2026 tour runs Saturday and Sunday, December 5 and 6, from 1 to 5 p.m. both days, starting from Perle Mesta Park. Its branding is "Miracle on 18th." On the association's tour page, six addresses appear under that heading: 601, 621, 700, 724, 815 and 928 NW 18th.
Put those six numbers on a map and they run west for four blocks along the old streetcar route. Over those blocks, NW 18th packs in most of what the National Register of Historic Places found remarkable about Mesta Park.
Why NW 18th Was Built Early
The association's neighborhood history sets out the sequence. The area was platted as University Addition in 1902. Sidewalks were going in by 1906, and by 1910 the trolley ran along three routes.
"By 1910, the arrival of the trolley, which ran along Western, Shartel, and NW 18th Street, connected Mesta Park to the wider city, further solidifying its place as a thriving residential area."
Western and Shartel are north-south arterials on the neighborhood's edges. NW 18th was the one streetcar line that ran east-west through the middle of the residential blocks. Anyone walking from Perle Mesta Park to an 18th Street address is following the route that let a 1910 household live here without owning a carriage.
The timing shows in the houses. According to the district's National Register nomination, the neighborhood was built in stages from 1906 to 1930, and half of that construction was done by 1915. Mesta Park joined the Register in 1983.
What the National Register Recorded on This Street
The 1983 nomination gives one feature of Mesta Park more weight than its architecture. Its authors set it apart from Oklahoma City's other nationally recognized districts for "an extremely harmonious blend of different housing types," with duplexes, four-plexes and apartment buildings designed to complement the single-family houses around them. They describe the result as a neighborhood where leaders of business and government lived next door to people "from less lofty social and professional positions."
Five of the houses the nomination selects as significant stand on NW 18th. Taken from east to west, they show how much range one street holds:
- 510 NW 18th, the Hugh D. Driscoll House. Built in 1928 for a lawyer. Two stories of brick, a hipped roof and a Doric-order temple entrance. It is the latest house in the group.
- 824 NW 18th, the Andrew Crahaw House. A one-story Plains Cottage from 1912 with a hipped dormer, an entablature wrapping the house and Tuscan porch columns. In 1916 Crahaw was secretary-treasurer of the Williamson-Halsell-Frasier Company.
- 831 NW 18th, the Mrs. Mary J. Thompson House. Built in 1907, which makes it the oldest of the five. A one-story Plains Cottage with square Tuscan porch columns and paired gable windows under a pent roof.
- 917 NW 18th, the Carl B. Kellogg House. A two-story house from 1911 in stucco and clapboard, with cresting along a hipped roof. That year Kellogg was divisional sales agent for McAlester Fuel Company.
- 1005 NW 18th, the Milton Scott House. A two-story clapboard house from 1912 whose portico and cornerboards carry a frieze. Scott was president of Halliburton Company.
On this list, two one-story Plains Cottages sit across from each other in the 800 block. Two blocks west, the president of an oilfield services company built on the same street. The construction dates span 21 years, from 1907 to 1928.
The six "Miracle on 18th" addresses fall between and beside these houses. Number 815 is in the same block as the Crahaw and Thompson cottages, and 928 is across from the Kellogg House. The nomination also describes the house that dominates the district: two stories, a wood frame with clapboard or brick veneer, a hipped roof, a wide entrance porch, and details such as art glass, gable motifs and decorative porch piers. It names the picturesque cottage as the leading style, with bungalows and plains cottages mixed in. The association's history page adds Tudor Revival, Colonial Revival and Craftsman to that list.
A Tradition That Started in 1977
In 2017 the Oklahoma Gazette marked its 40th year and reported that it began in 1977. That start came six years before the National Register listing. The association canceled the 2020 tour because of COVID-19 restrictions. When the tour returned last year, News 9 covered the weekend's run-up as neighbors got their historic homes ready for visitors.
The money stays in the neighborhood. According to the association's sponsorship page, tour profits pay for Perle Mesta Park maintenance and improvements, beautification, community events and the association's support for Wilson Arts Integrated Elementary. The same park that serves as the tour's starting point is one of the things the ticket money maintains.
The Weekend, Day by Day
| When | What | Where | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Friday, Nov. 6 to Friday, Nov. 13 | Mesta Park merch pre-orders | Online | Varies by item |
| Friday, Dec. 4, 7–9 p.m. | Holiday Home Tour cocktail party | The Blue Note, 2408 N Robinson Ave. | $50 per person |
| Saturday, Dec. 5, 1–5 p.m. | Holiday Home Tour, day one | Starting at Perle Mesta Park | $25 |
| Sunday, Dec. 6, 1–5 p.m. | Holiday Home Tour, day two | Starting at Perle Mesta Park | $25 |
Tour tickets cost $25 through the association's online ticket page. The Friday cocktail party is hosted by The Blue Note, with seasonal drinks from local businesses. The association says those $50 tickets are first come, first served.
During the tour, the association plans complimentary refreshments on its porch, a Santa visit, and coffee from Junction Coffee. Junction sells from brick-and-mortar shops, a roastery and a bus. Oklahoma's tourism listing describes the bus as a converted 1974 British double-decker.
Neighborhood merch is pre-order only. The order window opens Friday, November 6, and closes November 13. Orders are picked up at the tour on December 5 or 6.
Filling the Rest of Tour Saturday
The tour starts at 1 p.m., so there's time for a morning stop first. Mezzo Bakeshop is a European-inspired café that opened in the old Brown's Bakery storefront at 1100 N. Walker Ave. in Midtown. KFOR reported a 7 a.m. grand opening on Saturday, September 12, and The Oklahoman confirmed two days later that it was open. Its posted hours are 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sundays, so it's open before the tour on both days. It's closed Mondays.
The tour's last hour overlaps with another holiday event downtown. Automobile Alley's Lights On Broadway runs from 4 to 7 p.m. on Saturday, December 5, and again on December 12, with participating shops, performances, activities and Santa photos. If you see the 18th Street houses early in the afternoon, you can still reach Broadway while it's lit.
Other dates around the tour:
- Thursday, November 12, 5:30–7:30 p.m. The free Oklahoma City Tree Lighting Festival takes place at Mickey Mantle Plaza outside Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, 2 S. Mickey Mantle Dr., and the tree is lit at 6 p.m.
- November 27 through December 20, Fridays through Sundays. Midtown's free Holiday Pop-Up Shops at 399 NW 10th St. are open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays. That covers both tour days.
This year the tour's branding puts the focus on NW 18th, where 1907 Plains Cottages and 1912 two-story houses were built along a working streetcar line.
At Darian Woolbright and D.W. Real Estate Group, the history behind a historic house is part of how we present it. If you own a home on NW 18th or anywhere else in Mesta Park and want to understand how its original owner, build year and architectural style fit into today's market, we'd be glad to talk it through. Request a Private Listing Consultation.
