In 1923 this Colonial Revival home was built by Mr. and Mrs. Gordon Taylor, owners of the Taylor Marble and Tile Company. The home was both their residence and a showcase for their finest products and workmanship. Their work could also be found in the First National Center and the Skirvin Hotel.

The Taylors installed a marble sink in the kitchen; marble walls, door frame, window frame and floor in the downstairs powder room; Flint Faience American art tiles in the breakfast room; and a water fountain, floors and wainscoting clad in Batchelder American art tiles in the sunroom, made by the Batchelder Tile Company in Pasadena, California.

Upstairs, every bedroom had adjoining sitting rooms with windows faced in ivory and bathrooms were outfitted with colorful tiles as well. The only major set of additions to the house were done when the house was less than 10 years old when a bath and sitting room were added above the covered porch on the east side; and a second story was added above the garage for an apartment.

The Taylors sold the home in 1929 to Tom & Eloise Cooper, who owned the Cooper Motor Company and started the Oklahoma Transportation Company. Tom was born on November 13, 1883, in Parker County, Texas. He was a rancher in Ardmore and had several Ford Dealerships in Oklahoma. He was the state distributor for Studebaker and owned a Nash dealership in Oklahoma City. Eloise was born August 22, 1886, in Longtown, Mississippi. The Coopers had two daughters, Mary Elizabeth and Lura Eloise. Mary Elizabeth married civic leader and businessman John Kilpatrick. Eloise, and her husband, Robert S. Bowers, President of the Oklahoma Transportation Company, continued to live in the home on 15th. Tom died in July 1956 at age 72 and Eloise died July 9, 1977, at age 90.

In later years, Mrs. Veo T. Vessels, the mother of Billy Vessels, the 1952 Heisman trophy winner from the University of Oklahoma, lived in the home. Mrs. Vessels removed several dead trees, painted the exterior, and landscaped.

Sheryl and Brian Dolan bought the home in 1997 and gave new life to the aging structure by repairing, renovating, and modernizing the home with geothermal heating and air, a central vacuum system, an indoor/outdoor sound system, and all new plumbing and electrical wiring. They remained in the home for almost 20 years with their seven children whose handprints still remain on the west sidewalk by the home.

Current owners Terri and Norman Thompson moved into the house on December 21, 2015. The house continues to be a treasure trove of original art tile and marble. The Thompsons shared the home on the 2017 Home Tour.

The Thompsons repainted the home’s exterior, replaced the lawn and much of the landscaping, had all the trees manicured, and planted hundreds of perennials. Inside, they replaced nearly every light fixture with period antique pieces and had 38 Roman window shades installed.

Three of the four bedrooms have adjacent spacious sitting rooms that might have served as sleeping porches in the time before air conditioning. Terri says that it is a delight to simply sit and look out the windows in those rooms. One bathroom has a toothbrushing sink that their daughter Mary especially enjoyed.

In addition to finding their home comfortable and soothing, the Thompsons love the life and vibrancy of the neighborhood. They enjoy sitting on their patio and speaking with people passing by and also being close to the hustle and bustle of Midtown and downtown Oklahoma City.

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