Branch Library Just a Part of the Facelift for Kendall-Whitter

Children can exercise their brains at the library, and Friday, Tulsa got a new one.<br>It's another part of the facelift that's reshaping the Kendall Whittier neighborhood. The central Tulsa neighborhood

Friday, March 10th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

Children can exercise their brains at the library, and Friday, Tulsa got a new one.
It's another part of the facelift that's reshaping the Kendall Whittier neighborhood. The central Tulsa neighborhood is undergoing rapid change after years of planning.

There is a new flag flying over Kendall Whittier Elementary School, a sign of progress marked by new construction. Last year, the school replaced two dilapidated schools and united the children of the neighborhood.

A new post office added some business activity to the area and Friday, a new library opened, giving a family oriented anchor to the neighborhood shopping district. "It is a unifying force, because it is a place where everyone can come," said library branch manager Marilou Marlar. "It has historic roots to the old east second library which many people remember fondly going there. Almost anyone who grew up in Tulsa went to that library."

The new library is the latest in a series of improvements for the neighborhood which stretches from Utica Avenue to Harvard Avenue , from 11th Street north to the railroad tracks.

The library is located at Second Street and Lewis Avenue. Not far away, The University of Tulsa is building too. T-U is working on a 30-acre, $30 million dollar sports complex which will sit on land once filled with run-down housing. "This neighborhood had areas that were in decline," said university spokesperson Roger Blais. "I think this is something that will anchor the neighborhood and bring up the property values for the people in this area."

It's the first move west of Delaware for the university, which will now link its campus with the new elementary school. "When it's done it will bring up property values of the neighborhood," Blais noted. "They'll have a nice new school and this whole area will be very well landscaped and will be a great benefit for the city."

The new library displays pictures of the glory days of the old neighborhood when business was good and children celebrated around the Maypole at school. The new branch library officially opened Friday at 2:00 PM. The first phase of the T-U sports complex will be ready for use this fall.