A Look Into the President’s House’s Restoration

After nearly two decades of vacancy, a generous donation specified for the President’s House’s restoration has brought the original vision for the home back to life. 

Chief Information and Campus Operations Officer John Hermes, the original dreamer behind the restoration of the house, said this project has been a long time coming. 

“When Dr. Jones came to campus, he had been staying in a campus apartment. We were trying to figure out where he could entertain, have students over, and things like that,” Hermes said. “The President’s House has been here since the campus was built. We had some students living there, and then it became vacant,” Hermes said. “It’s just been sitting there without a real vision of what it could be used for. I looked at it and said ‘the bones are good, we just need to update it.’ I gave Dr. Jones a proposal that if we could raise some funds, we could make it a nice place for him to live.” 

Director of Presidential Affairs and Communication Teri Mueller gave some backstory on the first president to live in the house.

“The first president to live in the house was James O. Baird. He lived there for two years before he moved,” Mueller said. “Then Johnson lived there for over 20 years. We have had several people who wanted us to do something with the house. Whether we restore it, or turn it into a park pavilion.” 

The restoration project began in early August of 2023 and finished after about seven months. Hermes said the project would have been finished sooner if delays had not been a part of the process.

“By August of 2023, we were starting the planning process,” Hermes said. “Construction always takes longer than you expect. I was hoping we could have the Jones’ moved in before Thanksgiving, but there was just delay after delay.” 

Through the restorative process, Hermes said the in-house facility team worked hard to complete the project and several pieces inside the home were reused from prior donations. 

“Our facilities team was the main team that did most of the construction work with a few other contractors. Teri did all the interior decorating. She utilized a lot of furniture we already owned so very little had to be purchased,” Hermes said. “Even the artwork on the walls were things we had been given by people over the years that we were able to reuse. Our horticare is still working on landscaping on the exterior of the house.” 

Though the house was vacant for two decades, Mueller said the restoration of the house is a good lesson about continuing to be good stewards to the things we have. 

“I always think it’s great for us to be good stewards of what we have. I grew up on this campus. My dad taught here for 47 years, and so I saw what it looked like back in its heyday when the Johnson’s lived in it.” Mueller said. “I can remember what it was, so to me, it’s so impactful to see what it’s become and that it’s been restored to its former glory. I look forward to what it can be and I think the Jones’ will definitely be good stewards of it.” 

In addition to President Jones and his wife moving into the home, Hermes said the area will be used for special events and large gatherings. 

“I expect that he [President Jones] will use it to entertain and have meetings regularly. They had the National Alumni Council there last Friday. As Teri was thinking of the interior layout of furniture, she had larger groups in mind,” Hermes said. “We repoured a large slab in the back for eventually adding more outdoor furniture to host larger gatherings.” 

President Ken Jones and his wife, Suzie, moved into the newly-renovated home a couple weeks ago. Jones said he has enjoyed seeing the original intent of the house come back from its vacancy. 

“I think it’s a really nice addition for the campus, and I think it’s nice to bring back something that was used for the original design as a presidential home,” Jones said. “I like the fact that Dr. Baird built it and lived in it a couple years, and that Terry Johnson spent his entire presidency here, and those were kind of ‘glory years’ for Oklahoma Christian; the greatest expansion years the university has ever known.” 

Jones expressed gratitude for the house being restored and is hopeful for the future of the house in benefitting the university.  

“For John Hermes to have the idea and dream to restore it, it would have never happened without him mentioning that,” Jones said. “We have the nice fortune of being able to enjoy a really, really nice place. It’s a great place. I look forward to it being used for the benefit of the campus.”

The newly-renovated home will continue to be used for gatherings and special events hosted by the Jones’ in the future.