Historic Brown mansion in Oklahoma City to be auctioned at sheriff's

A historic mansion that pioneer Oklahoma businessman John A. Brown built in 1930 is slated to be auctioned at a sheriff sale in December after falling into foreclosure.

The mansion was featured as a Symphony Designers Show House in 2003 as part of a charity event sponsored by the Oklahoma City Orchestra League. Each year, the Orchestra League picks one local mansion to elaborately redecorate as part of the Symphony Designers fundraiser.Brown, founder of the John A. Brown's Department Stores brand, built the mansion with his wife Della Dunkin Brown just one year after Nichols Hills founder G.A. Nichols purchased 2,700 acres of farm land north of Oklahoma City in 1929 with dreams of developing the area into an upscale residential area, according to the city's official history.The mansion is scheduled to be auctioned off at the Oklahoma County Courthouse on Dec. 2.The Meyers purchased the house in 2002 for $1.4 million, according to property records.Appraised at $2 million, the 12,743-square-foot, 2.5-story Spanish gothic-style mansion was one of the first homes built in Nichols Hills. The white stucco mansion at 1601 Guilford Ln. is set on 2.45 acres and features vaulted ceilings and numerous chandeliers, as well as an enclosed courtyard with a pool.The mansion on Guilford Lane was recently listed with Nichols Hills Realtor Marilyn Torbett for $2.65 million, but she released the property a few weeks ago, staff at Torbett's office said on Wednesday. Torbett could not immediately be reached for comment.Bridgeport Holdings once had an extensive and diverse portfolio that included businesses ranging from homebuilders to a private foster care agency, according to a 2002 profile of the company in The Journal Record. Now a listed phone number for the Bridgeport is disconnected and the company's website is no longer operational.Wells Fargo Bank began foreclosure proceedings on the property in June 2009 after a $1.5 million mortgage on the property went into default, according to court documents. Attorney Sally Garrison, who represented Wells Fargo in the foreclosure, could not be reached for comment on Wednesday.Attempts to reach James or Robin Meyer also were unsuccessful. A call to Robin Meyer's attorney Christine Fritze was not immediately returned on Wednesday.Three homebuilding companies that Bridgeport controlled, Brookside Homes, Livingston Meyer Homes and Newhaven Homes, went out of business in 2008 after the credit markets dried up, according to news accounts.

The mansion is scheduled to be auctioned off at the Oklahoma County Courthouse on Dec. 2.