History

About This History

Kendall-Whittier's history belongs to all of us.

We are collecting records, photographs, maps, newspapers and other sources. We are also collecting stories and memories from people who know the neighborhood.

Some stories are found in public records, others are in news stories, and some have been passed down through families and the community. All are worth saving.

This history is not finished. It probably never will be. As we learn more, we will add new stories, correct mistakes and update what is already here.

Knowing where we came from can help us understand our neighborhood today and help us build a stronger community.

Do you know a story we are missing? Do you have photographs, documents or memories to share? We want to hear from you.

The Name: Kendall-Whittier

Combined neighborhood name emerged around 1968

Kendall-Whittier takes its name from Kendall and Whittier schools. But the names meant more than school buildings. Generations of neighborhood children attended these schools, and people strongly identified with the school communities where they grew up.

Construction of the Crosstown Expressway, now I-244, cut through the area and divided the neighborhood. Kendall and Whittier were important schools on opposite sides of the highway.

Around 1968, residents, churches and community groups began using the combined name Kendall-Whittier. Bringing the two names together also brought together two parts of a neighborhood that the highway had divided.

More Information | References | Documents

Before 1968–present 

Kendall-Whittier takes its name from two older neighborhood institutions: Kendall and Whittier. The area itself is much older than the combined name. Its history includes Native nations and communities, Kendall College and the University of Tulsa, Whittier Square, residential additions, schools, churches, businesses and other communities that developed at different times.

“Kendall-Whittier” later became a shared name for the larger neighborhood. When describing earlier history, this website may use Kendall-Whittier to identify places that are within the neighborhood today, even when people living at the time would have known their area by a subdivision, school, street, commercial district or another local name.

More Information | References | Documents