National Register of Historic Places

Skelly, William G., House

Tulsa, Tulsa County, Oklahoma
Listed
November 28, 1978
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
78002275

About this property

William Grove Skelly (June 10, 1878 – April 11, 1957) was an American entrepreneur who made a fortune in the oil business. Born in Erie, Pennsylvania, he moved to Kansas in 1916, then to Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1919, where he founded the Skelly Oil Company. By 1923, his company was one of the strongest independent producers of oil and gasoline in the United States. He helped organize the first International Petroleum Exposition in Tulsa in 1923 and became president of that organization, a position he held for the rest of his life. He was a founder of the Kansas-Oklahoma branch of the United States Oil and Gas Association, then known as Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association. Skelly also became an active promoter of the aviation industry, though he was not a pilot himself. In 1926, he purchased the financially struggling Mid-Continent Aircraft Company and turned it into the successful Spartan Aircraft Company. In 1928, he led the fundraising to build the Tulsa Municipal Airport. In October 1928, he opened the Spartan School of Aeronautics. Skelly was active in other civic projects. He donated funds to the University of Tulsa for a football stadium in 1930 and for KWGS, the first FM radio station in Oklahoma, in 1947.

Location

2101 S. Madison
Tulsa, Tulsa County, Oklahoma
36.13315, -95.98024

Categories

INDUSTRYARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

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.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Maple Ridge Historic Residential District
Listed
0.1 mi
Riverside Historic Residential District
Listed
0.4 mi
Harwelden
Industrial
0.4 mi
Boulder-on-the-Park
Industrial
0.5 mi
Elizabeth Manor
Industrial
0.5 mi

Questions about this property

When was Skelly, William G., House listed on the National Register?

Skelly, William G., House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 28, 1978.

What type of historic resource is Skelly, William G., House?

Skelly, William G., House is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Skelly, William G., House?

The period of significance for Skelly, William G., House is recorded as the industrial era.

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