Kendall Separate Town Once?

[Shorlong]

I got word Kendall was once its own town before being annexed by Tulsa.

Is this true? When was it founded, and annexed? Did it ever pose a threat to Tulsa being the main town in the region?

Thanks in advance.

[Neptune]

Without first-hand knowledge, I'd be skeptical.  The only reason I say that is that University of Tulsa, originally that was called Kendall College.  It originally was Henry Kendall College, in Muskogee Oklahoma.  It moved to Tulsa in 1907, and was renamed in 1920.  So, it seems more likely that the Kendall name comes from the University of Tulsa.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Tulsa

Typically, it's easy to locate old towns that we're annexed at one time.   And the Kendall-Whittier area certainly looks the part.  However, my guess, without any first-hand knowledge, is that any old community or town located there would have been called Whittier.  If it did in fact exist at one time.  Though, since old towns names that remain have the tendency not to be merged with other names, I'd still be skeptical.  It's just as likely that "Whittier" was someone's last name.  However, for research purposes, I'd start with the name "Whittier", unless you can locate some period maps.

[Neptune]

More potential nails in the coffin for Kendall-Whittier being an old annexed town.  Keep in mind, before Tulsa grew significantly South, it grew it's way East along Route 66.  And it's fastest growth was mostly between Admiral and 11th.

http://www.circlecinema.com/pages/history.html

Circle Cinema, one of the primary structures of Kendall-Whittier area, opened in 1928.  That's 21 years after Kendall College moved to Tulsa, and 8 years after Kendall College renamed itself.  The town-like structures of Kendall-Whittier likely do not pre-date annexation of the area.

After digging around a bit and coming up with absolutely nothing on Whittier, I ended up back on the same site, page 2

http://www.circlecinema.com/pages/history-2.html

Circle Cinema "is located in the historic Whittier Square Shopping Center, Tulsa's first suburban shopping center."  If that page is correct, Whittier is looking more and more likely to not have been an old town.  It is still certainly possible, it's possible that the buildings were built over what used to be a town called Whittier.  Evidence for that doesn't seem wide-spread.

Noting of course, in 1938, 10 years after Circle Cinema was built, Rogers High School was built.  
http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Will-Rogers-High-School
That's 1.5 miles east of Kendall-Whittier, and Kendall-Whittier itself is a little less than 2 miles east of the center of downtown Tulsa.

It does not appear that what we currently call Kendall-Whittier was a part of any town except Tulsa.  And since the current buildings are all I know of Kendall-Whittier, I find it highly unlikely that either name represented a town.  Without more evidence, it's just as likely that this was residential, farmland, or woodlands before the shopping center was built.  Whittier may have been the developer's last name.

Kendall-Whittier is a very interesting area, and it certainly gives the appearance of being an old downtown, even if it isn't.

[Wrinkle]

"Whittier" was the name of the grade school TU tore down to build the tennis complex, replaced by the new "Kendall-Whittier" (was it renamed to that when built?) complex at 5th and Birmingham.

The stock dripping ceiling tile into a bucket footage used during school bond issues was filmed there.

Schools often are named after people, but certainly are also named for location if the only school in a town.

My guess is "Kendall-Whittier" became a district name due to the schools and surrounding area being descrete from central Tulsa at the time.

But, it also makes some sense of it being a town name at some point. If so, wouldn't it actually pre-date Tulsa?

[tulsa1603]

I have a 1914 USGS map that shows "Kendall" as a town, much like "Scales", "Dawson", "Hickory", "Alsuma", and "Mohawk".  The intresting thing is that it looks relatively large.  With maybe a 1/2 mile gap from Tulsa.  I'll see if I can't scan this to show you better.

[waterboy]

Wrinkle, the tennis courts are on top of the former location of Kendall Elementary and the nearby city park. I attended the school in the 1950's. A fine, well built school that resembles Lee Elementary in style and construction, TU provided much support to its staff with supplies and student aides. Kendall was allowed to decline while Lee, sitting in Maple Ridge, has been better cared for. The school served the neighborhoods I grew up in, notably Hillcrest among others. Hillcrest was developed in the 1920's and it was that growth that spurred Whittier Square. It was never known as Kendall-Whittier until the area started a renewal and the two schools were united to form the new elementary. None of those Whittier Square buildings or surrounding homes are older than the 20's.

Whittier was an older school that was built before Whittier Square. Never heard of either area having been towns of their own like Dawson or Alsuma. Doesn't seem likely, especially since Kendall was named after Henry Kendall when the college moved here. There are no homes predating the 20's in that area either. Whittier was Tulsa's oldest school till it was demolished a few years ago.

[T Badd]

Here's a pic from the Beryl Ford Collection labeled:

   Kendall addition 1914 blueprint




You can barely make out labels on each "sub-division": Pleasant View, College, Heights (or is that College Heights?).

[T Badd]

Here's another one from the Beryl Ford Collection.

Kendall College: main building and dormitory




No date listed, but apparently between 1907 when it was built and 1920 when they changed the name.

[waterboy]

Interesting map. It has some strange markings of streets though. It starts with third street on the north, then 4th,5th,6th,7th. The streets are actually 3rd, 4th, 4th place, 5th, 5th place, 6th then 7th. The location for Kendall elementary is hard to place without the correct streets.

It also fails to show where Lewis street is on the west. None of the following streets appear though they could be just illegible: Atlanta, Birmingham, Columbia, Delaware, etc.

I wonder if this might have been a proposed plat or a plan for a separate town that didn't materialize. The name Birlingame is on the accompanying letter. Isn't that a real estate name?

Good work Tbad. Very interesting.

BTW, that's College and Highlands.

[waterboy]

There are other problems with it too. One of the North/South streets seems to be named Gillette. That street actually runs West of Lewis rather than East of Lewis. I lived at 4th place and Lewis among the original homeowners in that area. Also, from what I can tell, The Kendall Elementary location seems to be divided into city lots.

Those two items lend credibility that this was probably a proposed plat of some sort. I also am not as sure of the date as you are. Its probably a double digit but I don't see a '14 when I look at it. Maybe my system is not as good as yours.

ps- If you drive 3rd street today, you'll note the jog to the right it makes at Delaware. That correction is not shown on this map. Also of note is the north boundary which is labelled, "Creek Line". That would be about where Admiral Blvd is.

[Wrinkle]

I do know the street names in the larger area have been renamed. Post-1920, I believe.

For example, I know Birmingham Avenue was once named Washington Street.

Then, there's good ol' 15th being Cherry Street.

Old platts will show many of these disparities.

[Wrinkle]

quote:Originally posted by waterboy

Wrinkle, the tennis courts are on top of the former location of Kendall Elementary and the nearby city park. I attended the school in the 1950's. A fine, well built school that resembles Lee Elementary in style and construction, TU provided much support to its staff with supplies and student aides. Kendall was allowed to decline while Lee, sitting in Maple Ridge, has been better cared for. The school served the neighborhoods I grew up in, notably Hillcrest among others. Hillcrest was developed in the 1920's and it was that growth that spurred Whittier Square. It was never known as Kendall-Whittier until the area started a renewal and the two schools were united to form the new elementary. None of those Whittier Square buildings or surrounding homes are older than the 20's.

Whittier was an older school that was built before Whittier Square. Never heard of either area having been towns of their own like Dawson or Alsuma. Doesn't seem likely, especially since Kendall was named after Henry Kendall when the college moved here. There are no homes predating the 20's in that area either. Whittier was Tulsa's oldest school till it was demolished a few years ago.

Hmm, there was a school named Whittier, active when I was in grade school. We played them in baseball.

I just assumed that was it, didn't realize there was even a 'Kendall' school.

Could it have been renamed?

I kind of recall 'Whittier' being somewhat negative, as in the B-film (xxx really) district.

Perhaps the school (Board) wished to disassociate.

Where was the older Whittier school building of which you spoke?

[Wrinkle]

The road dead-ending into Kendall College is Sixth Street on the Platt, isn't that now 5th Street?

That would give room between 1st and 5th to add Place street for some.

[TheArtist]

How bout this... I heard that Brookside was once a small town that got swallowed up by Tulsa too.

[waterboy]

Whittier was on the corner of Admiral and Lewis. It was a large "U" shaped building in the same style as Kendall, Lee and Central with red brick and ornate cement trim. It operated as a city property (adult education?) up until a few years ago.

Kendall was always named as such and was built in the late teens. Whittier was a few years older. The Whittier and Kendall neighborhoods were working class and middle income homeowners through the late 60's when they  began to deteriorate. By the time 1978 rolled around, Whittier Square was in deep trouble. The kids I grew up with in the 50's were street wise and fast maturing but it was a low crime area. It has since shown signs of rebirth. Lots of TU administrators families lived in the area.

Until a couple years ago the entrance to TU was at the end of 6th street which is Delaware. The building shown on this thread was on the east end of the oval there. I had always been told that a street car trolley ended there from downtown but Bates indicated that it only went as far as Lewis Avenue.  

There simply aren't enough streets on the map to match what ended up there. And the alleys shown were closed off in the 20's. I'm thinking McCoy might have been Lewis Ave. With all that in mind, I think this may have been a proposed layout for a housing addition.