A Visit toBoyd Hiouse

After nearly a year of discussion andplanning by the experts, 18 more monthsof actual construction by the craftsmen,endless sidewalk superintending, specu-lation and anticipation by the public, thegrand dame ofOU build-ings once again com-manded the entrance tothe University of Okla-homa .

Suddenly, as theyresumed entertaining inthe magnificently re-stored, historic home ofpresidents, David andMolly Boren foundthemselves issuing the hottest invita-tions in town, perhaps in the entirestate . Everyone wanted to see the newBoyd House .

Try as they might since November1996, the Borens have not yet greeted

by Carol J. BurrPhotosbyRobertTaylor

everyone at Boyd House's front door .But 15,000 visitors passing between thetowering white columns in the last 22months is a pretty good start .

The general fascination with this $2million, privatelyfunded project is notsurprising. Only the li-brary and the adminis-trationbuilding surpassBoyd House as an ar-chitectural symbol ofthe University . Itsabandonment as apresidential residencein 1969 never sat well

with alumni ; David Boren's insistenceon returning there was roundly ap-plauded .

Enter Hugh Newell Jacobson, an in-ternationally acclaimed architect knownfor his historic restoration of both public

7he historic home of0Upres tlenis once again agleaming tributeto graciousness andtradition .

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Beginning with holiday open houses in December 1996, David and Molly ShiBoren have greeted an estimated 15,000 guests at the front door of themagnificently restored Boyd House .

and private buildings . The Borens hadbecome admirers ofWashington, D.C .,resident Jacobson duringDavidBoren'syears in the U.S . Senate . The architectquickly found that the presidentialcouple's love for the 90-year-old BoydHouse was contagious . A formidablepartnership was born .

Originally built in 1906 by OU'sfirst president, David Ross Boyd, ashis private home and later deeded tothe University, Boyd House under-went its first major renovation-in-eluding the addition of the giant frontcolumns-between 1915 and 1922 .Even while planning massive changesin the old structure, Jacobson insistedthat the result would not be a "new"house but rather would evoke thespirit of this earlier neoclassical re-vival-style make-over . In this under-taking, the architect certainly suc-ceeded . At first glance, the facade isthe Boyd House of old ; only then is itevident how much has been addedand how vast the improvement .

Jacobson's most startling deci-sion was to remove the one-story

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east wing-the music room-replac-ing it with a raised terrace on theeast and north sides of the house .The most dramatic change in thebuilding is a two-story addition atthe back, providing a 1,000-square-foot multi-purpose room on the firstfloor-named for OU's former firstlady, the late Cleo Cross-and amaster bedroom/sitting room, two

baths and a study on the second .The reconstructed first-floor inte-

rior ofthe original structure is true toits former plan-entry hall and stair-way straight ahead, dining room tothe left, living room to the right, open-ing onto the new terrace . The kitchenand breakfast west wing has beencompletely reconfigured, however,resulting in a catering facility thatwould be the envy of any commercialrestaurant .

The completely redesigned secondfloorbears no resemblance to the origi-nal . A sitting room at the top of thestairs opens onto the front balconywith its stunning view of ParringtonOval and the class memorial arches .Three spacious guest bedrooms, eachwith its own bath, occupy the remain-ing space .When the presidential inn is truly

full, a short climb to the third floor-once a full attic-reveals auxiliaryguest space . The basement floor isdevoted to an informal lounge/meet-ing room, storage and mechanicalareas, hanging space for hundreds ofvisitors' coats and space for largelaundry and commercial dish wash-ing machines .

Jacobson began with 11,561 grosssquare feet in the building . His planscalled for the demolition of 1,114 GSFfor renovation purposes, then the sub-sequent addition of 2,592 GSF for anew total of 13,039 GSF. But thenumbers do not begin to tell the story .

Within the house, only the livingroom and dining room fireplaces, theentry hall and stairway and some ofthe wood trim are original . Everyother piece of old finish material-including plaster, trim and woodfloors-every piece of electrical con-duit and wiring, every piece of plumb-ing was removed .

This needlepoint chair, purchased inNew Orleans by Mrs . William BennettBizzell when she lived in Boyd Housein the 1920s, was returned to thehome by her granddaughter, BarbaraBizzell Barry .

The puzzle master charged withdismantling and then putting thisjigsaw together again was BillGumerson, who attended OU in thelate '60s . His 25-year-old OklahomaCity design and building company, BillGumerson and Associates, had con-siderable restoration experience-butnothing of the complexity of the BoydHouse project .

Gumerson anticipated the asbes-tos abatement necessary before thehouse could even be occupied for con-struction, but several previous majorrenovations and the absence of blue-prints presented him with a numberof hidden structural and construc-tion surprises he never could haveforeseen .

"Whenwe started removingplasterand wallboardfrom the interior walls,"he says, "we found steel and framingthat would never have been antici-pated on first review . Most unique, wefound that they had plaster on theexterior of the building that we hadnever seen before-underneath thewood siding. We had to remove all ofthat.

"In essence, you could stand at anypoint in the attic and look throughthe framing all the way to the base-ment floor," Gumerson says in refer-ence to the project's motion pictureset appearance . "To have built a newstructure from scratch would havebeen a far easier task, but it wouldhave been less significant in the endbecause of the need to preserve thefeel and the history that this househad."

Inreframingthe original sectionsofthe house, Gumerson used wood, butthe framework for the new addition issteel . He describes the structural andmechanical aspects of the project as"impeccable ."

"It has a very state-of-the-art heatand air conditioning system, firealarms and zone shut-downs, humid-ity control," he says, adding thatmaking the facility disability acces-sible was also a major consideration ."The new addition-particularly the(Cleo Cross) room with its entertain-ment function-was done on a com-

T he Borens made surethat this was notjust`their house' but that itwas a house designedforfuturepresidents. mercial basis in terms of construction

and fire protection and exits ."This is a very unique structure

from the standpoint that even thoughit serves as a single family residencefor the president ofthe University andhis family, it also serves as a meetingplace and entertainment center forvarious functions for the University .And quite frankly, the Borens madesure thatthis was notjust `theirhouse'but that it was a house designed forfuture presidents."

Molly Boren continuallymakesthispoint to touring visitors . She refers tothe new upstairs master suite as "anapartment that can be closed off forprivacy, and everythingelse is apublicbuilding ."

The Borens' pride in the new BoydHouse is matched only by their gen-

From the front, facing Boyd Street,the new Boyd House is still thehistoric home of OU presidents wellremembered by Sooner alumni andfriends .

The skillfully blended original house, on the left, and the new addition, on theright, open onto a raised terrace on the east and north sides of Boyd House,overlooking masterfully landscaped gardens .

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The country garden at the northwest corner of Boyd House memorializes Mary EllenMonroney, widow of U .S . Senator A.S . Mike Monroney and a principal donor to theBoyd House project . Mrs . Monroney was known for her West Highland terriers,recalled by the little bronze sculpture at right .

erosity in opening it for officialand other special functions .The first to be entertainedthere in November 1996 werethe private donors whose en-thusiasm for the restorationwas backed with their contri-butions to the University ofOklahoma Foundation .

With scarcely time to washthe punch cups, the Borensthen invited the entire facultyand staff-5,000 in all-to fourdays ofstaggered holiday openhouses, complete with guidedtours by well-schooled presi-dential staffers .

From OU family in the iceand sleet of December to OUmoms on a sweltering Satur-day in April to the gamut ofstudent groups throughout theyear, BoydHouse isseldomidle .George Bush, Henry Kissingerand the Chinese ambassadorhave sleptthere . Donor groupsdine there . Visiting scholarshold roundtable discussionsover evening dessert and coffeein the great room where inter-national scholarship winnerswere honored earlier in the day .House guests relax on the ter-race and stroll the gardens .

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The limestone fountain below the north side ofthe raised terrace of Boyd House provides ashaded, cool resting place, accompanied by thetranquil sound of running water .

The late Mary EllenMonroney willed this 18thcentury Chinese porcelaintureen to her friend MaryBeth Busby, who felt itbelonged in Boyd House .Not trusting commercialshipping, Mrs . Busby drovethe tureen from Washington,D .C ., and hand delivered itto Molly Boren .

And over all this carefullymanaged chaos presides MollyShi Boren . While her husbandis fascinated by the history ofthe home they occupy, relishingthe details of its restoration,expounding at length on theproject and the people whomade it possible, Molly Borenseems to have a personal rela-tionship with each piece offur-niture, each decorator item,each garden plant .

Boyd House is beautifully,uniquely decorated . From therugs onthe floors tothe chande-liers hanging from the ceilingsand everythingin between, eachelement has been skillfully se-lected and placed for maximumeffect . The first lady's hand isevident everywhere .

Comfortably upholsteredcontemporary sofas and chairsare interspersed with an-tiques, some resurrected fromBoyd House'spast. Lamps fash-ioned from antique porcelainjars shed light on decoratoritems gleaned fromthe Borens'international travels . Gor-geous screens, wall hangings,carvings and statuary can befound in every room .

This antique Japanese charger,circa 1800, which is displayed in theCleo Cross Room, is a gift to BoydHouse from Joan Neustadt Weil .

George Bush slept here-in thesoutheast guest bedroom of thenew Boyd House-as did HenryKissinger and other notableUniversity visitors .

White benches are placed strategically among the flowers and shade trees thatborder the high, white privacy fence surrounding Boyd House on three sides.

It is not unusual to find First LadyMolly Boren in her sweatsuit,sitting cross-legged in the BoydHouse gardens talking plantswith members of OU's landscapecrew .

Continued

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This hallway leads to the familyquarters that occupy the secondfloor of the new north-sideaddition-a bedroom/sitting roomwith efficiency kitchen, MollyBoren's study and two baths anddressing rooms-furnished largelywith items from the Borens'Washington, D.C ., townhouse .

Many of the pieces in the housecame from the estate of Mary EllenMonroney, the widow of U.S . SenatorA.S . Mike Monroney, and from ClaraRosenthal Weitzenhoffer ofOklahomaCity . Relics of the William BennettBizzell era were given by his family,while other University friends contrib-uted treasures from their own homes .

The University ofOklahoma Foun-dation holds title to all the furnish-ings that are not the Borens' privateproperty . But even as she enumer-ates the origins of their personal pos-sessions throughout the house, MollyBoren notes that this item and thatitem will go to the Foundation forBoyd House when herhusband leavesthe presidency or as part of theirestates .No tour ofthe presidential home is

complete without a visit to the gar-dens, where the first lady's involve-ment is no less evident . She is ahands-on gardener, on a first-name

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Whether it is more pleasant to be entertainedinside the new BoydHouse or outside is a close call,

dictated only by the weather.

The Boren dog, Bailey, comfortably awaits visitors to the living room . Thedoors in the background lead to a raised terrace where the old, east-wingmusic room once stood . At right is an Alan Houser sculpture .

basis with each plant, shrub and tree .Finding her in sweatsuit and tennisshoes, sitting cross-legged under thetrees conferring with one of the land-scape crew is not at all unusual .

The west-side garden featuresDavidBoren's hammock, twoold curvedstone benches from the Cross era andapicnic table . Particularly poignant isthe Mary Ellen Monroney MemorialGarden at the northwest corner of thehouse, a "cottage garden" with a statueof a little West Highland terrier, repre-sentative of the breed she raised withsuch loving care .

The yard is enclosed by a high,

white privacy fence, its length bor-dered by flower beds, with whitebenches strategically placed underyoung trees . Justbelow the north sideofthe terrace is a gurglingwater foun-tain, while the terrace above is dottedwith potted plantings .

Whether it is more pleasant to beentertained insidethe newBoydHouseor outside is a close call, dictated onlyby the weather . In either case, therestored historic home shows the Uni-versity ofOklahoma at its best-well-planned,beautifully executed, graciousand welcoming . Nowondereveryone isclamoring for an invitation .