Holland Hall Upper School

About this property

Holland Hall (or Holland Hall School), in Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States, is affiliated with the Episcopal Diocese of Oklahoma and the Episcopal Church. The school has an approximate student-to-faculty ratio of 10:1, and approximately 1,000 students. (1,034 in 2021). Founded in 1922 by James Alexander Veasey, a University of Michigan graduate and lawyer formerly employed by the Dawes Commission, the school is named to honor the first headmistress, Winnifred Shureman, who was of Dutch descent. The school opened its first classes on September 21, 1922. Holland Hall first moved into a new building in 1923, just south of downtown Tulsa, at 1850 South Boulder. Financing was arranged by a group of prominent Tulsa businessmen, including Waite Phillips and William Skelly. The building contained only nine classrooms. The school outgrew this facility by 1932, when it moved to a new location. By 1930, the school had 60 students and 8 teachers. The campus is 162 acres (0.66 km2) in the southern part of Tulsa. The move to 81st Street began with the Upper Division in 1970. The Primary Division moved in 1976, and the Middle School made the transition in 1982. The 81st Street facility has since added the Walter Arts Center (1992), the Outdoor Sports Complex, including the Charles H. Brown Football Field (1995), the Duenner Family Science, Math, and Technology Center (2000), and Mary K. Chapman Primary School (2009). The football field was renamed Hardesty Field in 2012, when the facade was remodeled and artificial turf was installed. Each of the three divisions has its own library. In 2018, the A.R. and Marylouise Tandy Dining and Wellness Center was completed, creating a state-of-the-art workout facility for various sports, and bringing Middle School and Upper School dining operations under one roof. Although the school was intended to be coeducational from the time of its founding, within a few years it became girls-only at the Upper Level (high school age). In 1959, the school became affiliated with the Episcopal church. In the same year, it started a major campaign to attract boys to the upper classes. This included starting an energetic athletic program for boys. The school enrolls approximately 1,000 students each year. The school's "4 A’s" philosophy values academics, athletics, arts, and atmosphere. Graduation requirements include English, 4 credits; Foreign Language, 3 credits; Mathematics, 3 credits; Science, 3 credits; Social Studies, 3 credits; Religious Studies, .5 credit; Fine Arts, 1 credit; Athletics, 3.5 credits; Additional non-departmental requirements include: Wellness (Ninth and Twelfth grades) - one semester class dealing with social and emotional health; Junior Seminar - one semester class dealing with college selection and application process; A 40-hour senior internship/shadowing experience; A minimum of 21 credits is necessary for graduation.

Location

Categories

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

More in Tulsa County

Historic places, battles, and census history across Tulsa County.

More historic places in Oklahoma

Browse all historic places in Oklahoma.

Conflict records

Explore 19,000+ military engagements across American history.

Oklahoma history

Colonial settlement, territorial period, and statehood narrative.