Built by contractor Ray Smizer for Mr. and Mrs. Adelbert Brown in 1929, this unique dwelling is a dramatic masterpiece of Moorish design. Brown, an attorney, remained in the home only until 1931, then sold it to Mr. and Mrs. John Geissler. John had been an ambassador to a Latin American nation.

The exterior is embellished with arches, balconets, sculpted window heads, turned columns, a recessed entryway, and multi-colored roof tiles. The exterior walls are 18 inches thick and are made with three layers of hollow clay tile, the predecessor of concrete block. The tile roof, windows, exterior lighting fixtures and woodwork are still largely original to the house.

The interior of the home is just as unique with a twenty-foot ceiling and hand-painted beams in the Living Room. This room is centered by a large fireplace with an impressive cast concrete mantle supported by twisted columns crowned with papyrus-leaf finials. Decorative dentil moldings further embellish the fireplace. Crowning the chimney is a decorative shield, a motif found throughout the home.

Other highlights include a wood paneled study and an oversized crystal chandelier in the dining room. Fritillaries decorate the leaded glass in the library. Palladian windows in the sunny breakfast room overlook the rear gardens. Carved niches over the doorways display the recurring shield motif.

The curving staircase has two landings, the second of which is supported by an elaborate three-tier acanthus leaf frieze. The first landing houses doors leading to a front balconet. The upstairs landing opens on the right to a west balconet which provides a spectacular view of the impressive living room from another vista.

A small powder room is tucked under the stairwell. A sterling silver faucet set on the lavatory is fashioned in the image of a dolphin for a spout and cockleshells for handles.

The second floor is composed of four bedrooms and three baths plus a gathering area for the family. The master suite has two baths and dressing areas with one opening into a front balconet. The basement club room also has a fireplace with a concrete mantle which displays the recurring motif of twisted columns and crests.

In 1938, after the home changed hands two more times, it was purchased by Margaret and Charles A. Vose. This was the fourth and final house in Heritage Hills that they would call home. The son of Richard Vose, a pioneer industrialist who helped found the First National Bank of Oklahoma City, Charles grew up in the family home on14th, then married neighborhood friend Margaret Hoffman in 1925 and moved into a home on 21st. They later bought a house on 18th. As chief executive officer and chairman of the board until he was in his eighties, Charles built the First National Bank into the largest bank in Oklahoma.

Margaret died October 1, 1980. In 1985 Charles sold the home to the William Carey. Before moving in, the Careys made extensive repairs, updated mechanical systems, converted the Florida room to a den, remodeled the kitchen, and rehabilitated the dining room chandelier.

William served as a board member and president of the neighborhood’s governing board, Historical Preservation, Inc. William always enjoyed sharing their home with the neighborhood and greater community. The Carey home has been featured on the Home Tour many times including 1996, 2009, 2013, and 2021. In addition, the home has been a favorite gathering spot for neighborhood events, especially the Holiday and Spring Party.