Historic Oklahoma City estate, once eyed for new jail, set to become nature preserve

Steve Lackmeyer, The Oklahoman
·4 min read
The Kirkpatrick Family Fund Real Estate LLC, a subsidiary of Kirkpatrick Family Fund, has won an auction to purchase about 133 acres of land at NE 50 and Lincoln Boulevard in Oklahoma City.
The Kirkpatrick Family Fund Real Estate LLC, a subsidiary of Kirkpatrick Family Fund, has won an auction to purchase about 133 acres of land at NE 50 and Lincoln Boulevard in Oklahoma City.
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A historic 133-acre estate in northeast Oklahoma City, once eyed as a possible location for a new county jail, is likely soon be sold to a foundation that plans to turn it into an urban study center and nature preserve.

The Red Ridge estate, one of the city’s largest undeveloped properties in the urban core, is located at 5500 Lincoln Blvd., and features old growth trees and sloping hills. County assessor records indicate the estate includes three historic buildings, each spanning slightly over 3,700 square feet.

The Kirkpatrick Family Fund submitted the winning bid Thursday at an auction held by the owner, the Oklahoma Commissioners of the Land Office. The foundation bid $11,085,000, right at the minimum asking price.

Final approval of the acquisition awaits a vote of the Oklahoma Commissioners of the Land Office, which is scheduled for Aug. 10.

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The Red Ridge structure on the property The Kirkpatrick Family Fund Real Estate LLC, a subsidiary of Kirkpatrick Family Fund, has won an auction to purchase about 133 acres of land at NE 50 and Lincoln Boulevard in Oklahoma City. This photo was taken by Abandoned OK.
The Red Ridge structure on the property The Kirkpatrick Family Fund Real Estate LLC, a subsidiary of Kirkpatrick Family Fund, has won an auction to purchase about 133 acres of land at NE 50 and Lincoln Boulevard in Oklahoma City. This photo was taken by Abandoned OK.

What to know about the team acquiring the Red Ridge estate

The acquisition team of Liz Eickman, director of the Kirkpatrick Foundation, and Louisa McCune, executive director of Kirkpatrick Foundation, are calling the area Red Ridge, a nod to the art museum once located in the property’s original Mediterranean-style house.

The team, led by Christian Keesee, president of the Kirkpatrick Family Fund, plans to form a new nonprofit to manage, preserve and program Red Ridge. McCune said they look forward to working with experts, advisers and neighbors to refine and implement their plans.

“Kirkpatrick Philanthropies’ vision is to create an urban study center and nature preserve for the people of Oklahoma City,” Keesee said. “Our organizations have decades of experience with conservation, historic preservation, arts education, and supporting the well-being of animals. We believe this is a perfect fit for our philanthropy.”

Dwight Lawson, director of the Oklahoma City Zoo and an adviser on the project, called the estate the “last big green space” left in the city.

“There is a good bit of wildlife out there,” Lawson said. “It's a nice town respite for people and wildlife alike. There has been a loose network of folks who have talked about ideas. There are a ton of opportunities with the historic building and the land."

Keesee’s family has a history of large local philanthropic efforts that include Science Museum Oklahoma and more recently, Oklahoma Contemporary.

'Our neighborhood has been on pins and needles'

Nikki Nice, who represents the estate as part of Ward 7, praised Keesee’s efforts and noted the Oklahoma Commissioners of the Land Office had submitted the property to Oklahoma County as a location for a new jail.

“Our neighborhood has been on pins and needles,” Nice said. “Now they can breathe easier that this will be a place of preservation.”

Nice hopes that the preserve, which she hopes will be possible with approval of the foundation bid, will connect to the city’s trails system and become an additional attraction to a stretch of Lincoln Boulevard that was a part of Route 66. She said a jail would have been a worst-case scenario.

“This is the entrance to our Capitol,” Nice said. “I don’t think anyone would want (the jail there). It speaks to a story that we’ve incarcerated too many people.”

The Red Ridge estate dates back about 100 years to when it was built by R.J. Edwards, founder of R.J. Edwards Inc., purportedly the first municipal bond house west of the Mississippi, in 1892. The firm closed in the late 1980s.

The Kirkpatrick Family Fund Real Estate LLC has won an auction to purchase about 133 acres of land at NE 50 and Lincoln Boulevard in Oklahoma City.
The Kirkpatrick Family Fund Real Estate LLC has won an auction to purchase about 133 acres of land at NE 50 and Lincoln Boulevard in Oklahoma City.

Edwards’ heirs fought over the estate, and it went to a sheriff’s auction in 2001. The mansion’s fate is a concern to preservationists, and it was listed on Preservation Oklahoma’s annual endangered places list.

“This is definitely exciting news, for northeast OKC and the entire city,” Mayor David Holt said. “Chris Keesee and the Kirkpatrick Family Fund have a great track record in our community, and if they say they’re going to do something special, it has generally been my experience that they will. I look forward to seeing how this develops in the years ahead and I’m grateful for their willingness to take this project on.”

The Oklahoman receives funding from the Kirkpatrick Foundation for state government reporting. The Oklahoman retains editorial control.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Historic Red Ridge estate in OKC to become nature preserve