Swan Lake, Tulsa

At the beginning of the Twentieth Century, spring-fed Orcutt Lake was the watering hole for a ranch belonging to Colonel Adolphus D. Orcutt, a native of Kentucky and a Civil War veteran. Orcutt moved his family from Kentucky to Indian Territory in 1870, settling in what was then part of the Creek Nation. Colonel Orcutt originally rented the land from an unidentified member of the Creek tribe for the purpose of raising cattle. He created a cattle watering hole from a natural spring on the property. His son, Samuel Augustus ("Gus") Orcutt, also a native of Kentucky, went into the ranching business. Gus married a Creek woman named Annie Hodge in 1890. When the Creek lands were allotted the Orcutts became the owners of around the stock pond. In 1908, a group of developers led by Colonel Orcutt's son, purchased in Orcutt Addition to build a park and an artificial lake. The amusement park, built by the lake in 1909, marked the end of the trolley line by 1910. ==Description==

Swan Lake is the focal point of the district of the same name. Two-story houses built around the lake from 1919 to the present represent a variety of architectural styles including Spanish, Georgian Revival and vernacular interpretations honoring the swan. The remainder of the neighborhood is similar in scale, containing bungalows, two-story houses, quadruplexes and six-plexes of stone, clapboard and stucco. The Swan Lake area has more two- and three-story, 1920 to 1930 multi-family apartments and duplexes than any other residential area in Tulsa. The district includes the commercial area on 15th Street. The neighborhood of Swan Lake was designed and laid out in a smaller than normal street grid system. This design identified from the beginning a desire for an enhance focus on pedestrian traffic and an indirect focus on neighborly community interaction. Supporting this idea is the quantity of community organization and community activities that are prevalent year round. Such a community involvement identifies a true connection between the neighborhood and the citizens that call it home. Noted Tulsa architect, Joseph R. Koberling, Jr. chose to build his own home in the district in 1944. The house at 1543 South Swan Drive is still used as a private residence. Its architectural syle has been described as French Eclectic. • Organized in 1983, Swan Lake Neighborhood Association launched a successful campaign (1992) to list neighborhood in the National Register of Historic Places (1998) • Tulsa Parks and Swan Lake Waterfowl Society partner to ensure viability of resident swans and other riparian birds. Society cares for and feeds waterfowl; park staff maintains shore habitat. • The larger-than-life bronze of a trumpeter swan in-flight located at park entrance. • "Enchantment," a boy with a swan, relocated from 1934 Chicago World's Fair. Swan Lake was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on February 20, 1998 under National Register criteria A and C. Its NRIS number is 98000140. ==Great American Place==

The United States is rich in culturally historic neighborhoods sometimes in plain sight or hidden among the many streets of the many large cities across the country. Each significant in their own way to their own communities yet some have been identified as “Great Places in America: Neighborhoods” by the American Planning Association. The American Planning Association (APA) is an independent, not-for-profit organization that supports and advocates community planning through educational and citizen empowerment. The Swan Lake Neighborhood has been identified along with nine other neighborhoods as 2011's “Great Places In America: Neighborhoods”. An APA program celebrates communities with a true sense of place, culture and historical interest, community involvement, and vision that set the standard of excellence. It is a great honor for this neighborhood to be identified as an area of exemplary character, planning, and quality by the national organization. The Swan Lake Neighborhood is a community that should be celebrated and learned from to help spread this high standard across the country. ==Marquette School==

According to the Tulsa Preservation Commission, Marquette School, the parish school for Christ the King Catholic Church, is a contributing resource for the Swan Lake Historical District. The school is at 1519 South Quincy Avenue. ==Amenities not in the District==

There are some shopping areas along the streets that border the District (especially 15th Street and Peoria Avenue), they are rather limited in scope. Utica Square, located at 21st Street and Utica Avenue is the largest general shopping area close to the District. The St. John's medical complex is across Utica on the east side of the District. ==Notes==

• NRHP Registration form, "Swan Lake Historic District."] January 12, 1997. Retrieved June 6, 2015.