John Sinopoulo House, 400 North Kelley Avenue, Oklahoma City

Source document Quoted word for word from HALS OK-33. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

The Sundial was home to Greek immigrant and Oklahoma City entertainment pioneer John Sinopoulo and his wife Katharine. The Mediterranean-styled villa, was designed by Chicago architect John Eberson and is surrounded by 20 acres of gardens designed by a landscape architect also from Chicago in to to resemble the famous Versailles Gardens of France. The property is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. History: Situated on 20 acres of gardens designed after the gardens of Versailles, the Sundial itself was fashioned after Greek villas along the Mediterranean. Born in Magoula, Greece, John Sinopoulo and his brothers Peter and James immigrated to the United States in After spending time in New York, Chicago, and St.

Louis, the brothers moved to Oklahoma City in During the same year the brothers opened the Delmar Gardens, one of Oklahoma's first amusement parks. The 140-acre gardens included a hotel, restaurant, race track, theater, and beer garden. Delmar Gardens closed in and the brothers began acquiring theaters throughout Oklahoma City. Originally, the theaters served as venues for the vaudeville circuit, traveling acting troupes, and operas. Later, they expanded to include motion pictures. By the beginning of World War I, the brothers had acquired six theaters.

In the brothers merged their theaters with other prominent theaters in Oklahoma City and formed Midwest Enterprises, Inc, where John would serve as president until his retirement in In the Sinopoulos began building their fourteen-room Mediterranean styled home that was inspired by estates in his homeland of Greece. Interestingly, his wife Katharine, an artist, created a cardboard model mock-up of the house and presented it to architect John Eberson to design fully. The Sinopoulo's inspiration for the gardens surrounding their home came during their honeymoon in Europe.

They especially were enamoured with the layout of the gardens at Versailles, France and hired a landscape architect from Chicago to design the landscape in The home was situated among fruit and nut trees, an extensive vineyard, goldfish and lily pond, formal gardens and passageways that included a quartz bridge. Upon John Sinopoulo's death in little of the original landscape remained due to maintenance difficulties. The property was left to Mr. and Byron JOHN SINOPOULO HOUSE (SUNDIAL) HALS. OK-33 PAGE 2 Gambulos, the couple's son-in-law and daughter. Efforts have been made to restore the property.

Source document Quoted word for word from HALS OK-33. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

Steve Eilers, November 15, West Stillwater, OK steve.eilers (alokstate.edu Dr. Charles Leider Professor and Director of the Landscape Architecture Program Horticulture and Landscape Architecture Department 360 AG Hall Stillwater, OK Office: charles.leiderfalokstate.edu JOHN SINOPOULO HOUSE (SUNDIAL) HALS. OK-33 PAGE 3 ..v *,? : :: r-:?'ijj:i*~pS^ Vintage photo of home accessed November 15, f Hi: ' Modern photo of home (Steve Eilers, 20C