Mesta Park sits just north of downtown OKC, roughly between NW 16th and NW 23rd, and between Western and Walker. It’s one of the city’s oldest neighborhoods — most of the homes went up between 1906 and 1930, and the median build year is 1915. It’s also an official City of Oklahoma City Historic Preservation District, which means exterior changes (paint color, windows, additions) go through the Historic Preservation Commission before you can do them. That protects the character of the street, but it’s worth knowing before you buy.
What You’re Actually Buying Into
- Craftsman bungalows, Prairie-style homes, and a handful of Spanish Colonials and Victorians — the average home is about 2,423 sq ft on a lot around 6,969 sq ft
- Walking distance to Uptown 23rd (Tower Theatre, Gold Dome) to the north and the Plaza District to the west
- Perle Mesta Park itself has a playground, sand volleyball court, and paved trails right in the neighborhood
- An active neighborhood association (mestapark.org) that runs the annual Holiday Home Tour and Mesta Festa
- A few minutes to downtown and the streetcar line — no interstate needed for most trips
Why It’s Protected
Mesta Park’s historic status traces back to a loss. In 1969, the Colcord Mansion — one of the grand homes just south of here — was torn down. The demolition upset enough residents that it pushed the city to pass its first historic preservation zoning ordinance, which went on to create the districts that protect Mesta Park and Heritage Hills today. Without that fight, this neighborhood’s original homes likely wouldn’t have survived the decades of teardowns that reshaped a lot of older OKC.
One physical piece of that history is still standing in the neighborhood: when the old Baum Building was demolished downtown, its carved stone spires were saved and installed in the medians along Shartel Avenue, running through both Mesta Park and Heritage Hills. They’re easy to miss driving through, but they’re a direct, physical link to what OKC’s early downtown architecture looked like before urban renewal cleared most of it out.
What Homes Are Actually Selling For
Right now there are 15 active listings in Mesta Park, running from about $262,500 up to $3,050,000 for a large estate — but most of what actually sells lands between $335,000 and $700,000. A lot of that spread comes down to how much of the original house has been updated versus left original. A fully renovated Craftsman with the historic details intact sells for more than one that needs work, even at the same square footage.
Home Values Over Time
There’s no honest way to chart Mesta Park’s values back to when the neighborhood was built in 1906 — reliable home-price data just doesn’t go back that far. What we do have is Zillow’s Home Value Index for ZIP 73103 (which covers Mesta Park along with the surrounding area) going back to 2000, tracked against some of the real events that moved the market over that stretch.
A quick honesty note: this is ZIP-level data, not a Mesta Park-only figure — 73103 is bigger than the neighborhood itself, so treat this as a directional trend rather than an exact number for any one house.
Current Mesta Park Listings
This pulls live from the MLS, so it’s always current — not a list I update by hand.
Questions Before You Buy Here?
Buying a historic home is different from buying new construction — inspections, insurance, and what the Historic Preservation Commission will and won’t approve all matter more here. I can walk you through what to expect before you make an offer.