Gillette District - Tulsa

View Edit

Gillette is a historic district in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It consists of the homes on Gillette Avenue and Yorktown Place between 15th Street on the north and 17th Street on the south.

Tulsa's smallest historic district, Gillette comprises thirty-one single family residences and six duplexes built between 1922 and 1941. These original structures established the original integrity of the district. Five additional residences have been built within the past ten years. The most dominant new buildings are four single-family residences directly south of the Gillette Mansion.

The buildings in this district are generally large, traditional, two-story buildings on large lots along the boulevard-style South Yorktown Place. The most dominant building is the Gillette Mansion, built by J. M. Gillette. This mansion appears to have established a general character for the district. Many of the subsequent buildings display elements and details similar to those of the Mansion. The buildings along South Gillette Avenue are generally smaller one- and two-story cottage and bungalow styles.

Architecturally, the district is highlighted by the Gillette Mansion at 1521 South Yorktown Place, the McGay residence at 1551 South Yorktown Place, and the 1923 Tulsa World Model Home at 1546 South Yorktown Place. While these are also the most dominant historically, the remainder of the district, especially the residences along South Gillette Avenue, represent the transition from the bungalow style to the cottage style as the dominant form of residential design and construction.

The Gillette District was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 20, 1982. It was listed under National Register Criteria C, and its NRIS number is 82003702.¹