Tulsa Garden Center, Outside

The weather has been cold and bleak but the hardy pansies bloom right through the cold weather and provide a welcome splash of color. There is always something in bloom at the garden center.

The interiors of the mansion are very beautiful. I will share some photos from inside another time.

The greenhouse and sunken garden give the back garden a victorian look. Sometimes orchids are displayed inside.

Parking in in the rear which has become the main entrance.

I love the round room with windows on the south side.

TULSA GARDEN CENTER MANSION

The Italian style villa at 2435 South Peoria, was designed by Tulsa architect, Noble B. Flemming in 1920. It has twenty-one rooms and ten bathrooms. It was built by David R. Travis (originally known as David Rabinowitz) an immigrant originally from Czarist Russia. The ballroom in the lower level was the location of the first Jewish services during the Travis residence since there was no synagogue or temple in Tulsa.

Samuel Travis built the house immediately south, which is now owned by the Tulsa Historical Society. In 1923 J. Harthur Hull purchased the home and built the Lord Burnham greenhouse and sunken garden. During the Depression the house and 10 acres was offered for sale for $25,000 with no buyer coming forward for several years.

The Snedden family finally purchased the mansion and property in 1934 and lived there until 1950, when oil man W.G. Skelly purchased the home. Mr. Skelly sold it in 1954 for $85,000 including ten acres to the City of Tulsa. Since then, the Tulsa Garden Center has operated the city-owned facility providing educational resources and meeting places for horticultural and environmental organizations.

Woodward Park with its beautiful Azalea Gardens, the multilevel Municipal Rose Garden, and the Tulsa Garden Center are all located on this 10 acre plot.  This is a municipal treasure.