Marion K. Cruce bought this prairie style stucco home in 1919. A native of Russell, Kansas, Marion K. was the nephew of Lee Cruce, the second governor of Oklahoma elected in 1911. He grew up in Ardmore, then attended Vanderbilt University and completed a law degree at OU. About 1915, Marion K. moved his family to Oklahoma City and joined his father’s law firm.

The Cruces made several changes in the home. They added a library on the west side and enlarged an open porch on the east side and converted it to a sunroom. Upstairs, they enclosed and enlarged a sleeping porch for a large bedroom. In 1939 they built a three-car garage with a full second floor servants’ quarters to accommodate one family car and two glider planes. In an interesting side note, since 1965, the Soaring Society of America has given an international award, the Marion C. Cruce trophy.

In 1959 Marion K. died, leaving the home to his son, Marion C. Cruce, and his wife, Virginia. Marion held an M.B.A. from Tuck School, operated his own accounting firm, and bought and sold oil leases. With his wife and three children, he moved back into the house where he had spent most of his childhood. They modernized the kitchen and converted a side porch into a downstairs bathroom and storage area. Marion was one of the original founders of Historical Preservation, Inc.

Lisa & Chris Lawson purchased the home in 2005. They replaced all the downstairs ceilings which provided an opportunity to completely rewire the house. They built a new kitchen with new oak floors matched to the original flooring in other parts of the house. They changed the former dining room to a family room. In the living room, renovations uncovered beautiful gray Frankoma tile fireplace surrounds. The sunroom along the east side had its original tile floor of green and gold and original radiant heater in the fireplace. The Lawsons' son had a suite, including a fireplace in his bedroom and a playroom in the former sleeping porch. A guest room with half bath, a home office, and the original hall bath were also on this floor. The Lawsons featured their home on the 2006 and 2016 Home Tours.

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