Heritage Hills has been home to many pioneers, whether in banking, medicine, or industry. One of the most quickly recognized names outside the city belongs to the family that built this Victorian-era home in1909.

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John Braniff was born and raised in Pennsylvania, then moved west with his wife Mary to settle in Kansas, where he started an insurance company. While in Kansas, they were blessed with the births of three sons and a daughter.

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Braniff moved to Oklahoma City in 1900, three years into an economic boom that would not peak until 1910. Braniff reestablished his insurance company, opened a real estate business, and a law practice.

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In 1928, while their parents still lived in the home on 16th, pilot Paul Braniff and his insurance executive brother Thomas started a pioneer airline company with one route to Tulsa. The carrier soon extended its routes from Oklahoma City to Wichita Falls, Kansas City, and St. Louis. Braniff also won a contract to carry airmail from Chicago to Dallas. Soon after, Braniff Airways became the first air carrier to connect the Great Lakes with the border of Mexico. During World War II Braniff turned over to the government more than half of its fleet for military use and became a major air carrier in Latin America. After the war, Braniff began serving countries such as Peru, Brazil, Argentina, and Colombia. Braniff continued operations until 1982 and the Braniff building still stands in downtown Oklahoma City at 324 N. Robinson.