In 1903, the same year the streetcar tracks reached Classen's new additions, John L. McClelland saw his first automobile. Twelve years later, as one of Oklahoma's pioneer automobile dealers, McClelland built this unusual bungalow.

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Born in Kansas, young McClelland made the land run of 1893 with his parents who established a bank in Pond Creek. He finished school, married and quickly divorced, then left town to work for the railroad. In 1903, returning to the territory, he saw his first automobile and purchased one in Wichita for $1,500. He then journeyed to Kansas City and arranged to become the distributor for Buicks in Oklahoma Territory. When his banker father would not finance what he considered a "foolish venture,” McClelland turned to his friend French Gentry, a lumberman in Enid, for financial backing. Soon, he was managing the McClelland- Gentry Automobile Agency in Enid.

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A year later, McClelland moved the dealership to Oklahoma City. He even operated an "auto livery," and rented cars for $3 an hour. The most popular drives were to several wineries on the skirts of town. He eventually moved the dealership to N. Broadway, a street known as "Automobile Alley." There, McClelland prospered and eventually expanded to Packards, Chryslers, and Maxwells.

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In 1915, riding the prosperity of the automobile boom, McClelland and his wife, Katherine, built the house on 17th. It was a bungalow, with shallow gables supported by oversized brackets, exposed rafter tails, and wood siding. Mrs. McClelland later added brick to the first floor, built the chimney, and moved the entryway from the center of the home.

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In 1978, after the home had gradually deteriorated, it was purchased by Mr. and Mrs. David W. Bardwell, who rebuilt the bathrooms, remodeled the kitchen, and added cabinets to the dining room. They featured the home on the 1981 Home Tour.