An Original Beauty
By 1909, construction of the Frank Phillips Home, a 26-room Neo-Classical mansion located in downtown Bartlesville, was complete. Since then, the home has undergone two remodels and extensive interior redecoration. It still retains the graceful external lines of the original design. Neither the Phillips nor their granddaughter who donated the home to the Oklahoma Historical Society in 1973 made significant changes to the interior, making the furniture, decorations, and even personal belongings original to the Home with only a few exceptions.
The History of the Home
Walter Everman was the original architect for the home in 1909. The first major renovation was done in 1917 and included the southwest wing, sunroom, and the children’s suite. A $500,000 renovation began in 1930 and was overseen by Edward Beuhler Delk. Delk was a prominent architect who also helped design the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City, Villa Philbrook in Tulsa, and what is now Oklahoma Wesleyan University in Bartlesville, to name a few. The remodel included extending the southeast wing, separate bedrooms for Frank and Jane, extensions to the library and more. The home was one of the first in Oklahoma to be air-conditioned in 1938. The home includes an elevator, which was reportedly Jane’s Christmas gift to Frank in 1947.
A Timecapsule of life in the early 1900's
On the ground floor, guests can marvel at the richly paneled library, the dining room, kitchen, and multiple sitting areas where much of the entertaining was done. The Phillips’ received guests from near and far in this home (personal friends, American and foreign businessmen, local ranchers and cowboys, and Native Americans with whom Frank felt a particular closeness). Entertaining guests was a high priority for the family.
The second floor hosts the private rooms of Frank, Jane, and their two beloved foster daughters. Guests can view both Frank and Jane’s distinctively different bedrooms and private bathrooms and see where their two daughters grew up.
The third floor was primarily used by their son John Phillips, the only natural child of Frank and Jane, but was used for various purposes once he left home. This floor also features a room for Frank’s butler, Henry Einaga, and guest quarters when they had visitors.