In 1922, when construction began on this lot, the economy of Oklahoma was fueled in large part by the booming oil industry. One of the key players in that development was Joseph Henry Grant, the man who built this house. A native of Georgia, Grant read for the law and was admitted to the bar in 1891. He practiced in his home state until the Spanish American War, in which he served as a regimental adjutant. He remained in the Philippines as governor of Leyte until 1903.

After he returned from foreign service, Grant opened his practice in Oklahoma City and became general counsel for Thomas B. Slick, the man who discovered the Glenn Pool oil field and became one of the richest men in the state. As Slick’s legal representative, Grant handled matters ranging from leasing oil lands to operations of the Oklahoma Southwest Railroad Company. When Slick died in 1930, Grant became general counsel for the executors and trustees of the multi-million-dollar estate.

In 1962 the home was sold to Norma and James B. Bruno who remodeled the kitchen and converted the study to a bedroom. Jim and Norma were married in 1948.

Norma was born February 9, 1925. Jim was born December 27, 1922, in Comanche, Oklahoma and moved to Oklahoma City in 1927. He attended Edgemere Elementary, Webster Junior High, and graduated from Central High School in 1941. Jim represented Central in the North-South All Star Game in 1941. Jim attended CSU, OU and graduated from OCU in 1948. In college he played on the football, basketball, wrestling and tennis teams, earning him letters and scholarships and a place in the OU Football Hall of Fame. In 1942 he served in the US Army as a combat soldier in the South Pacific returning home in 1944 with numerous medals and honors. Jim's love of sport continued through teaching and coaching at Crescent and Wewoka High Schools and coaching basketball and tennis at OCU from 1948-1950. Jim later assisted in recruiting football players for OU. In 1950 he founded Bruno's Mattress and Furniture Co. in OKC with his mother Sylva Bruno, later joined by his brother Frank Bruno. The store was located at 36th & Western and served OKC for over 70 years. Jim was a member of St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, Uptown Kiwanis, the OKCPS School Board, and he was an avid supporter of the arts. In 1960 he was selected to be in the OCU Hall of Fame. Norma died in 1993, and Jim died December 22, 1995.

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