Prairie House
On the outskirts of Norman, Oklahoma stands an icon of the Organic Style. The 1.5 story, 1,763 square foot “Prairie House,” designed by Herb Greene was completed in 1961. Curved in plan and tapered in section, a balloon framed armature supports other more sculptural wood-framed elements, including a vault, furring around windows and decorative “tusks.” All this is clad with roll roofing and sheathed with an artistically composed weather layer of wood shingles and boards. A corrugated metal canopy sweeps up the south side of the building and terminates in a pyramidal shape above the main roof. Aside from its sculptural interest, this corrugated metal assembly is at once a carport, entrance marker and a major component in the house’s natural ventilation strategy. The house’s windows are treated architecturally as voids in the wall, all the better for opening to views of what was a vast prairie setting in 1961. Largely still a rural setting; the surrounding area is composed of open prairie with rural residences dotting the environs. After the Greenes sold the property in 1968, a screen of cedar trees was added to the perimeter of the property. However, it is still possible to appreciate the structure as a sculptural object on a prairie within its own 3.62 acre site. Modifications made to the structure through the years have been minor, with no serious compromise to the original design intent. And although the exterior siding of the house has deteriorated significantly, it retains a high level of historic integrity. The interior is missing its first floor finish of cork tile and shag carpet that once covered the stair and second floor - otherwise, the interior is remarkably intact, and retains a majority of its original features. Interior features include an extant concrete and granite paver floor at the Entry, where a dramatic open stair with its distinctive rail of rebar, connects the floors and roof levels. Perhaps most notable is the commitment to cedar boards and shingles as the sole finish materials for walls, ceilings and built-ins throughout the house – all these have survived in good condition and remain with a high level of historic integrity.
The Prairie House was purchased by the Prairie House Trust in December 2021. The Prairie House Preservation Society (PHPS) is a 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization, founded in January of 2022, with a primary mission to restore the property. The nomination was completed in June of 2024 and is scheduled for the October meeting of the State Historic Preservation Office’s Historic Preservation Review Committee, when it will undoubtedly be approved and forwarded to the National Parks Service for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places.
View the nomination - click any image below and use the navigation arrows to browse the document. Press Esc to exit the viewer.
