Built in 1926 by Arthur L. and Jean Thurmond, the dominant element of design for this home is the steep Gable over the entryway, which gives the house the English cottage look. Arthur was born in 1912 in Tarrant County, Texas and was one of five brothers who moved to western Oklahoma during the 1890s and built a chain of seventeen banks. Jean was born in 1918.

In 1936 the Thurmonds sold the home to Susan and Louis Griffith. Louis and his brothers, Rupert and Henry, helped found and operate the largest motion picture theater chain in the southwest, the Griffith Consolidated Theaters.

In 1925 the Griffith brothers were selling films for Universal Studios when it occurred to them that they could open their own theaters to show the films. They opened their first theater in Yale and expanded quickly. By 1932 they operated more than 500 theaters in four states and employed more than 1500 people.

At the height of their success, Louis and Susan purchased the house on 15th. They remained until 1948 when the theater chain was destroyed by an anti-monopoly lawsuit.

The home was in turn purchased by Dr. William & Sue Eastland. William was born May 18, 1898, in Waco, Texas. Sue was born October 21, 1900, also in Waco, Texas, but spent her childhood in Oklahoma City. She served as president of the Women’s Auxiliary of the Oklahoma Medical Society. They had a daughter named Sue. William died October 3, 1982, at age 84. Sue died March 27, 1984, at age 83.

Marianne (Brown) and Dr. Jerry Vanatta bought the house in 1983 after William’s death.

They enclosed a porch, enlarged the main bathroom, and added several closets and central heat and air. The Vanattas featured their home on the 1984 Home Tour.

Jerry was born in Texas and earned a BA in Physics from Oklahoma City University in 1970 and his MD from the OU College of Medicine in 1975. He became certified in internal medicine and also became a professor of medicine.

Marianne was born in Oklahoma City and grew up in Colorado and Albuquerque, New Mexico. She attended Oklahoma City University and married Jerry the day after she graduated in 1970. Marianne practiced tax accounting as a CPA for over 30 years. She served on the OCU Board of Trustees, Heritage Hills Historical Preservation Board, and the Oklahoma Literacy Council. Marianne was an avid runner and cyclist in numerous races around the United States and Europe. She also established a yearly 5K road race to benefit the OCU School of Nursing. Jerry and Marianne had two sons, Jeremy and Seth. Marianne died April 25, 2009, following a 5-month battle with stomach cancer.

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