In 1921, two years before the Wallaces built their place next door, Mr. and Mrs. Ben Allen Ames hired an architect and built this Dutch Colonial home.

Ames was familiar with the neighborhood, for he had grown up on 14th Street, the son of Charles “C.B.” Ames. The younger Ames attended Princeton, completed the law degree at OU in 1917, then joined the Army.

While serving with the 36th Division, he met his wife, Olive, a native of Texas who was living in Fort Worth. After the war they returned to Oklahoma City where Ames joined his father’s law firm, Ames, Chambers, Lowe and Richardson.

The Ameses bought the lots on 19th for $3,350, then hired the Smiser Construction Company to build their home. In 1926, needing more room for their growing family, they added onto the house at both ends.

Designed by the famous architectural firm of Layton, Hicks and Forsythe, the additions included a porte cochere and sleeping room above and two rooms on the other end. The new design also added a Dutch gambrel roof with oversized dormers. Marla and John Santore purchased the home in 2003 and later featured it on the 2006 Home Tour.

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