Sayre-Mann House
323 F, SW, Ardmore, OKThe Sayer/Mann House is a fine example of Queen Anne style residence and one of the few remaining Queen Anne homes in south-central Oklahoma. In addition, both Horace and Pearl Sayer, who owned the home from 1909 until 1969, achieved recognition for their public and professional activities.
Situated in an old residential area of Ardmore once known as Silk Stocking Row, the house retains its original appearance, even to the decorative detailing, gracing the neighborhood of Victorian era homes (including Greek revival, Georgian revival, and prairie cottage homes) as the only two story Queen Anne home in town.
The house was constructed outside present-day Ardmore during the late 1880s. Dodson, the owner, moved the house to its present location before statehood when he gave the property on which the house was located for the railroad round house. Fearing that the house was no longer structurally sound, Mr. Dodson sold the house and by 1909 the Sayers purchased it.
Horace and Pearl Sayer owned the home for sixty years. During that time each attained recognition for professional accomplishments. Horace Sayer was the first city engineer for Ardmore and an oil lease broker. During World War I he organized the Engineer Batallion from Ardmore that served in Europe. Consequently, the armory in Ardmore is named in his honor. Pearl Mitchell Sayer typified the spirit of community service of the wives of Ardmore's leading citizens. Her volunteer activities included the district library board, the organization of the Carter County Red Cross, and World War | Liberty Loan drives. She also became active in politics, serving on various committees of the Republican Party in Oklahoma. She attended national Republican conventions and achieved national recognition as a member of the Republican National Committee from 1932 to 1957.
Noel and Glenda Mann purchased the home in 1969 from the heirs of the Sayers and immediately began work to restore the home to its original appearance. In recent years, Pearl Sayer had converted the home into a duplex, making some severe alterations to the interior floorplan. The Manns have returned the house to its original plan and have begun the process of restoring the home which had deteriorated over the years. Much of the exterior work has been finished, replacing decayed wood with new material, and using the old pieces as patterns to duplicate the original. Work has begun on the interior The Manns have a strong commitment to historic preservation and complete much of the work themselves to ensure quality in the rehabilitation.
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1982.
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.