The Active Historian

Hey, Friend! Welcome back to another post. Today, I want to show you the historic Mid-Continent Life Insurance Building in Oklahoma City. This was the first office building built in the residential part of town in the 1920s. Let’s get started!

History

The Mid-Continent Life Insurance Company Building was built for R.T. Stuart. He needed a building because he was moving his company headquarters from Texas to Oklahoma City.

Solomon Layton, Hicks, and Forsythe were the architects and they chose the Neo-Classical Style for the four-story building. It was the 70 by 150 feet. The grounds were comprised of eight lots purchased by the company.

The J.H. Fredericton Construction Co won the bid for the construction contract. Construction work began in April 1926 and ground was officially broken on May 10, 1926. The cornerstone was laid on November 3, 1926 with a ceremony.

The second level of the floor was considered the “main business floor” of the building. It had several details added including tiled words in the center of the lobby. Some of the interior of the building includes Honduran mahogany wood and white Vermont marble. The Tibbs-Dorsey Manufacturing Co. made the mahogany sashes and doors for the building.

The company offices were located on the third floor and you can see the Honduran mahogany in the office and reception room today. It’s absolutely stunning!

The fourth floor was designed as a residence for his family due to zoning laws. The building was built in Heritage Hills and only residences could be built in the neighborhood.

The building was estimated to be completed by February 1927. The Mid-Continent Life Insurance Company moved into their office on February 26, 1927 and opened for business on February 28, 1927. A reception for the building was held on May 10, 1927.

An estimated $350,000 was spent on this building not including the landscaping done around the building.

The Mid-Continent Life Insurance Building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. It remains relatively unchanged from the original design except for modern updates like heating/cooling, lighting, etc.

Today, the building houses the Oklahoma Hall of Fame Gaylord-Pickens Museum. You can click on the link to see my post about the museum which has more photos of the interior!

Mid-Continent Life Insurance Newspaper Ads

I found the following newspaper ads while doing research and wanted to include them here at the end!

Visit

1400 Classen Drive

Oklahoma City, OK 73106

Sources

Secondary Sources

“History of the Building.” Oklahoma Hall of Fame Gaylord-Pickens Museum.

“Mid-Continent Life Insurance Building.” National Register of Historic Places. (#79002009)

Primary Sources

Newspapers

“Mid-Continent Life Insurance Company.” The Oklahoma Banker (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma), January 1, 1926.

“Office Building Starts Soon.” The Capitol News (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma), March 19, 1926.

“State Income Tops Expenses.” The Oklahoma News (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma), May 4, 1926.

“Building Program Here Is Greatest In Recent Years.” The Oklahoma News (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma), July 8, 1926.

“Mid-Continent Life Insurance Company.” The Oklahoma News (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma), September 28, 1926.

“Elks Initiate 15 Tonight.” The Oklahoma News (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma), November 26, 1926.

“Mid-Continent Life Insurance Company.” The Oklahoma Banker (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma), February 1, 1927.

“Mid-Continent Life Insurance Company.” The Oklahoma News (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma), February 2, 1927.

“Notice to Policyholders…” The Oklahoma News (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma), February 25, 1927.

“Ancel Earp & Co.” The Oklahoma News (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma), May 10, 1927.

“Carpenter Shop Grows To Big Industry.” The Oklahoma News (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma), January 21, 1927.