Harwelden is a historical building, also known as Harwelden Mansion, and is an

English Tudor English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

-styled mansion with

Collegiate Gothic Collegiate Gothic is an architectural style subgenre of Gothic Revival architecture, popular in the late-19th and early-20th centuries for college and high school buildings in the United States and Canada, and to a certain extent Europ ...

elements in

Tulsa Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the U.S. state, state of Oklahoma and List of United States cities by population, 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. ...

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

that is an Event Center and Bed and Breakfast. It was built in 1923 by a businessman and philanthropist, Earl P. Harwell. Previously owned by the Tulsa Arts and Humanities Society (AHHA), it is now owned and renovated by Teresa Knox in 2018. The mansion sits on one full city block overlooking the

Arkansas River The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. It generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The river's source basin lies in the western United Stat ...

, minutes from the world-renowned Gathering Place. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1978. With The mansion and grounds were also documented by the

Historic American Buildings Survey Heritage Documentation Programs (HDP) is a division of the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) responsible for administering the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), Historic American Engineering Record (HAER), and Historic American Landscapes ...

in 2009.

History

In 1923, a

-native businessman and philanthropist, Earl Palmer Harwell and his wife Mary built the

and

styled mansion, named Harwelden. It was designed and constructed by architects

Wight and Wight Wight and Wight, known also as Wight & Wight, was an architecture firm in Kansas City, Missouri consisting of the brothers Thomas Wight (September 17, 1874 – October 6, 1949) and William Wight (January 22, 1882 – October 29, 1947) who d ...

and Long Construction from

Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more ...

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

. Interior design was by William A. Franch and Company of Minneapolis, including for paneling, plaster-ornamented ceilings, oriental carpets and furnishings. The historic mansion was built when Tulsa was known as

Oil Capital of the World The title of "Oil Capital of the World" is often used to refer to Tulsa, Oklahoma. Houston, Texas, the current center of the oil industry, more frequently uses the sobriquet “ The Energy Capital of the World.” History In mid-19th century, ...

. Following the deaths of Harwell in 1950 and his wife's in 1967, the mansion was donated to the Arts Council of Tulsa. When the house was left to the Arts and Humanities Council, it included staircase runners and living room rug, all of the original lighting fixtures, and selected furniture and draperies, while most furnishings were bequeathed to relatives. The mansion served as a headquarter for Arts Council of Tulsa and its governing body, ahha Tulsa from 1969 to 2012. In February 1978, the mansion was added to the

Tulsa County, Oklahoma Tulsa County is located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, the population was 669,279, making it the second-most populous county in Oklahoma, behind only Oklahoma County. Its county seat and largest city is Tulsa, the second- ...

Ownership

In 2019, the building is owned by Tulsa-native businesswoman

Teresa Knox Community Care College is a private career college in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The college is the main campus of two branches, Clary Sage College and Oklahoma Technical College. Founded by Teresa Knox in 1995 as Dental Directions: The School of Dental As ...

and her husband, Ivan Acosta. In May 2018, they purchased the mansion for $2.9 million and spent millions more during a two-year renovation. The Harwelden Mansion is the sister property to

The Church Studio The Church Studio is a recording studio in Tulsa, Oklahoma established in 1972 by musician, songwriter, and producer Leon Russell. Located in a converted church building, the studio has since been cited as being the heart of the Tulsa Sound. H ...

and often houses celebrity artists that perform or record at the studio such as

Kenny Loggins Kenneth Clark Loggins (born January 7, 1948) is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. His early songs were recorded with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in 1970, which led to seven albums recorded as Loggins and Messina from 1972 to 1977. His ...

Air Supply Air Supply is a soft rock duo formed in Melbourne, Australia, in 1975. It consists of Englishman Graham Russell (vocals, guitar) and Australian Russell Hitchcock (vocals). They had a succession of hits worldwide, including eight top-five hit ...

and

Trace Adkins Trace may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * ''Trace'' (Son Volt album), 1995 * ''Trace'' (Died Pretty album), 1993 * Trace (band), a Dutch progressive rock band * ''The Trace'' (album) Other uses in arts and entertainment * ''Trace'' ...

Programming

The historic mansion now serves as an event center, wedding venue and bed and breakfast. The Harwelden Mansion offers various programming including traditional English

Afternoon Tea Tea (in reference to food, rather than the drink) has long been used as an umbrella term for several different meals. English writer Isabella Beeton, whose books on home economics were widely read in the 19th century, describes meals of var ...

and historic tours. The operations of the building are overseen by the

nonprofit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

, Heritage Society of Tulsa, a 501(c)3. The Harwelden Mansion is rented for filming and has been used by A&E,

Discovery Channel Discovery Channel (known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery) is an American cable channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav. , Discovery Channe ...

SiriusXM Radio Sirius XM Holdings Inc. is an American broadcasting company headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City that provides satellite radio and online radio services operating in the United States. It was formed by the 2008 merger of Sirius Sat ...

, ABC Network,

Mike Rowe Michael Gregory Rowe (born March 18, 1962) is an American television host and narrator. He is known for his work on the Discovery Channel series ''Dirty Jobs'' and the series ''Somebody's Gotta Do It'' originally developed for CNN. He hosted a s ...

and various television channels. Following the purchasing of the mansion by Knox, an historic mailbox was stolen from the building but has since been replaced.

References

External links

* * {{NRHP in Tulsa County, Oklahoma Buildings and structures completed in 1923 Buildings and structures in Tulsa, Oklahoma Art Deco architecture in Oklahoma 1923 establishments in Oklahoma National Register of Historic Places in Tulsa, Oklahoma Tudor Revival architecture in the United States Collegiate Gothic architecture in the United States