Oklahoma Governor's Mansion

Oklahoma Governor's Mansion. The Red River Journey. The mansion was completed in 1928 at a total cost of $139,000. It features items from many of Oklahoma's first families, and the governor's names are woven into the carpet covering the steps of the spiral staircase. Oil wells once adorned the grounds, Governor William H. Murray planted a garden to help feed those in need during the Great Depression, and a temporary heliport was added in the 1960s so President Lyndon B. Johnson could visit in the presidential helicopter. It was later converted to a tennis court., In 1995, under Governor Frank Keating, the mansion was renovated, and the Friends of the Mansion, Inc. was established to help raise funds., The Governor's Mansion is included within the Capitol-Lincoln Terrace Historic District and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976., The Red River Scenic Overlook is sponsored by the Oklahoma City Federation of Women's Clubs, (sidebar:), This 14,000-square-foot mansion is constructed of Carthage limestone in a Dutch Colonial architectural style. Oklahoma City's architectural firm Layton, Hicks and Forsyth built the mansion along with Smiser Construction Company. It has three stories and originally had 19 rooms, such as a parlor, ballroom, kitchen, library, dining room, and sunroom. , (photo caption:), In October 1928 Henry S. Johnston was the first Governor to move into the mansion. Johnston was impeached during his term and only lived in the mansion until early 1929.