E.W. Marland Mansion – Part 2

2014.12.23

Through a vestibule from the porte cochere and into an entrance lobby, stairs rise and descend to two of the four levels, with a long axis view to daylight at the opposite end of the mansion.  In the lobby are two restored statues of the adopted children George and Lydie created by Jo Davidson in French limestone.  George’s statue was originally outside the porte cochere and Lydie’s was in the north garden; replicas now endure the weather.

Long view from the lobby, Marland Estate, Ponca City, Oklahoma
Statues of George and Lydie Marland at Marland Estate, Ponca City, Oklahoma

The cashier is in a small room to the right of the lobby, once the reception room.  You can tour yourself with a provided booklet, or join a guided tour with a docent.  There are a couple closed-off areas not accessible in the self-guided tour, however since it was a quiet day one of the ladies gave us a mini-tour of those areas.

Wood corbel and frieze detail, Marland Estate, Ponca City, Oklahoma
Painted frieze detail in the lobby at Marland Estate, Ponca City, Oklahoma

Formal Dining Room

To the left of the lobby is the Elizabethan formal dining room with a table for ten.  The wall sconces are Sheffield plate (layered silver and copper).

Formal dining room, Marland Estate, Ponca City, Oklahoma
Sheffield plate wall sconce in the dining room, Marland Estate, Ponca City, Oklahoma

The walls and mantle are English pollard oak (pollarding is a pruning system used since medieval times) cut from royal forests by special permission of the King.  The wood was shipped to Boston for molding and carving, then on to Ponca City.

English pollard oak paneling in the dining room, Marland Estate, Ponca City, Oklahoma
Carved mantle detail in the dining room, Marland Estate, Ponca City, Oklahoma

The barrel-vault plaster ceiling was molded at a working height and then hoisted in place.

Barrel vault plaster ceiling in the dining room, Marland Estate, Ponca City, Oklahoma
Carved wood mantle and molded plaster ceiling in the dining room, Marland Estate, Ponca City, Oklahoma