Historic Ridgecrest Sign Refurbished
The City of Midwest City was awarded a small grant from the Midwest City Memorial Hospital Authority for the purpose of refurbishing the historic Ridgecrest Neighborhood sign which had fallen into disrepair over the years. The lettering had completely fallen off leaving only the words Country Estates which was not the name of the neighborhood but described the type of lots that were being sold.
The Ridgecrest Neighborhood was famous for the pony-lot houses. When Mr. Atkinson began developing the Ridgecrest Addition in the 1950’s and early 60’s, each home purchased came with a Shetland pony. The homes were marketed as “Country Estates” because they were more expensive and included a larger yard than those in the Original Mile. While the parents were touring the new homes for sale, Mr. Atkinson would take the children to the backyard to show them the pony. The parents had a hard time saying no to a pony lot home. Some of the early Ridgecrest homes still have small stables in their back yards, however, not all of the home owners wanted to care for a pony at home. Most ponies were kept at the pony stable at the Mr. Atkinson’s home on an acreage that was located at 10th and Midwest Boulevard. It is now called The Atkinson Heritage Center. The pony stable and corral where Ridgecrest residents boarded ponies can still be visited.
The goal for this project was to improve the neighborhood’s image and to honor its history by refurbishing the neighborhood entrance sign. There was no signage that identified the neighborhood to the public. The project consisted of repairing the existing sign which had lost all of the identifying “Ridgecrest” lettering. This project is important because it helped preserve the unique history of Midwest City and the Atkinson legacy. The State Historic Preservation Office recommended doing a reconnaissance survey of the housing in Ridgecrest because it is over fifty (50) years old and the housing is in relatively good shape. This recommendation demonstrates that the neighborhood is an historic asset to the City and should be tended to.
