Remember When?
Some of you might remember the excitement in the late 1950s when Western Electric announced their plant development on the northeast corner of North Council and West Reno.
In 1959, one of the ripple effects was the Webber Investment Company purchasing land on three of the corners at NW 10th and North Rockwell as well as land on the southwest corner of Melrose Lane and N Rockwell.
Part of that development is Westoaks Shopping Center (formerly home to Otasco, Safeway, TG&Y, Walgreens, and C R Anthony). The shopping center was later purchased by Builders Warehouse. Dick Webber developed the first Westoaks Restaurant on the SE corner of NW 10 and N Rockwell. This restaurant was opened in the 1950’s about the time of the sit-in protests in Oklahoma City and already had a policy of treated all customers equally regardless of race. Currently this building is the home of Iglesias De Dios Pentecostes.
Webber Investment Company developed The Webber Industrial Park on the SW corner of NW 10 and Melrose Lane and built the Love Box Manufacturing plant which is currently the home of Pratt Industries.
WesTen is grateful for modern-day pioneers who have gone before us.