top of page

HISTORY

Wileman’s Belle Isle was developed by Oklahoma City local Ben Wileman. The land west of N. Pennsylvania Ave. was farmland but soon to be the new shopping and housing area of OKC. In the 1950’s, it was the suburbs. 

 

The area had been a popular destination since statehood with the Belle Isle Lake, built by the Oklahoma Railway Company in 1907. Oklahoma Railway Company President, Anton Classen and Vice President, John W. Shartel built the lake and power plant as a way to generate power for the streetcar system. Belle Isle station was at the end of the Classen railway line. Later, an Interurban line was added and ran to Guthrie.

 

By the 1950s, Ben Wileman began developing a neighborhood located west of the old Belle Isle Lake and Pavilion. Pennsylvania Ave. was a two lane road. To the west was Belle Isle Dairy Farm. Between 1950 and 1954, the first homes in Belle Isle were built on NW 54th St. andNorth toward NW 56th Terr. 

01 copy.jpg
before development.png

In 1956, builder Luke Rodgers started building on NW 56th Terr. and NW 56th St. His “storybook chalet” style home created a lot of excitement in OKC. Two events that inspired Rodgers to create this new design were, a recent trip to Europe where he fell in love with the chalet style home and the opening of Disneyland where the magical style was popular. Design elements Rodgers used were “Snow White cottage shutters,” elaborate brick facades, intricate wood trim, round rooms, and the imaginative placement of homes on their lot. 

 

Wileman's featured many other builders who built wonderful homes. Mostly ranch style, they offered large wood-burning fireplaces, large living spaces and the kitchens were more open than the galley kitchens that had been popular prior to the 1950’s. The new color palette for tile was pink, peach, mint green, baby blue, yellow and traditional white. During an era of bright colors, these homes were very modern with their surfaces and designs. 

Penn Square & Belle Isle Station

In 1960, OKC’s downtown shopping district was becoming less popular and the new trend was to build shopping in the suburbs. Penn Square Mall opened as an open air mall. Its anchors were John A. Brown and Montgomery Ward. The mall was enclosed in 1982 and a second story and food court were added in 1988 and remodeled again 2000.  

 

Belle Isle Station was built in 1999 and now includes shops like; Wal-mart Supercenter, Nordstrom Rack, Old Navy, REI, J. Crew Factory, Torchy's Tacos and many more. Today, Wileman's Belle Isle is one of the most desired areas to live in OKC and the area continues to rise in value and interest. It's close to many shops and restaurants and has easy access to highways. Trees are mature and homes are well maintained. This area continues to rise in value and interest.

Penn Sq outdoor mall.png
bottom of page