Champlin, H. H., House - Enid, OK
Posted by: 
hamquilter
N 36° 23.405 W 097° 53.590
14S E 599264 N 4027784
The largest home in Enid, Champlin had this residence built, sparing no cost.
Waymark Code: WMEB9W
Location: Oklahoma, United States
Date Posted: 05/01/2012
Views: 5
The H. H. Champlin House was built in 1939, designed by Roy Shaw and Norris Wheeler in the Tudor Revival style. But this just begins to tell its story. Every construction item, every detail, every decorative piece was the best of its kind, brought in from all over the world. The Briar Hill (Ohio) sandstone blocks required 35 railroad carloads to deliver. The glass set in the windows was violet ray glass, found only in England. Everything was the best-of-the-best. This article found at EnidNews.com from November 2006 gives a detailed, personal account of the building of this magnificent home. (
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This is a 2-1/2 story sandstone-clad home in the Tudor Revival style. It has the steeply pitched gables and cross-gables that typify this style. Oilman and banker, Herbert Hiram Champlin, founder of Champlin Oil & Refining Co., and owner of the First National Bank, and many service stations, spared no expense in its construction. He was to live only five years after moving in.
The east-facing facade has large, projecting gables. The roof is multicolored Vermont slate, as is the front entrance terrace and the main entrance hall inside. The elaborate main entrance has an arched sandstone surround with decorative stone embellishments. Above the entrance on the second level is a projecting oriel window with a copper-sheath roof. A second projecting gable to the north of the main entrance has a large bay window. The windows throughout are in various styles. The windows have cast bronze frames and sashes and many have diamond-shaped leaded art glass insets. A massive chimney rises above the center of the house, complete with decorative pots. The home faces a small park which has been there since the 1930s.
The interior is first-class also with a residential lift in the main hall. The home is one of the first in the region to have central air-conditioning, and has copper air ducts and 67 thermostats throughout the house. The kitchen was custom-designed by General Electric's Hotpoint Division and has cabinets, countertops and built-in refrigerator made of highly durable Monel metal (nickel and copper). GE only constructed two of these custom kitchens during the Depression, with the other being a smaller version for Eleanor Roosevelt's White House kitchen.
The home is the epitome of opulence, built by an owner who wanted only the best. The home is currently occupied by a great-grandson of H. H. Champlin. The home was placed on the National Register in 1992 (#92001833)