Concrete in the Gillette, Swan Lake and Yorktown districts

When each district was zoned

The Tulsa Preservation Commission lists Gillette as historic preservation zoned on March 24, 1989, Swan Lake on February 14, 1994, and Yorktown on August 14, 1995. Other HP-zoned districts on the same list are North Maple Ridge, Brady Heights, Tracy Park, the Council Oak Tree site and Elmwood, the Patrick J. Hurley Mansion. Retrieved September 27, 2026.

What needs review

The Commission’s page says owners need an HP Permit before making changes or repairs to the exterior, even without a building permit. The zoning code exempts patios and similar accessory structures outside street yards, and anything not visible from adjoining streets. So a back patio usually proceeds without review, while a new front walk, a replacement drive of a different width or a front retaining wall does not.

The paving rules in the guidelines

The 2017 residential design guidelines keep street-yard paving to the primary driveway and sidewalks, with a cap of 50 percent of the street yard on interior lots and 30 percent on corner lots. They rule out asphalt and stained concrete, favor repairing original paving and steps over replacing them, and point to ribbon driveways as historically appropriate. Side and rear yard fences, walls and paving are exempt from review.

For walls facing the street, cinder block, segmental retaining wall systems, corrugated metal and railroad ties are not allowed. The Tulsa Planning Office walls FAQ adds that walls up to four feet need a Zoning Clearance Permit and taller ones need an engineer-sealed building permit.

Swan Lake’s water edge

Properties around the lake itself deserve a drainage question on top of the preservation one. Ask where runoff from any new paving will go, and whether the lot sits in a mapped floodplain; Tulsa’s flood control page requires a floodplain watershed development permit before building or excavating in one.

For a comparable bid, give contractors photographs of the existing street-facing concrete and a note that HP review applies. Some will include drawings for the permit; others expect you to handle it.