History of Parking Meters

The first parking meter was patented by Carlton Cole Magee in 1935. Magee was a newspaper editor and a member of the Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce traffic committee. The idea for a parking meter originated with Oklahoma City merchants who wanted to develop a way to increase traffic turnover in front of their stores - - employees would park early on and leave their cars all day so there would be no parking for the customers. I read that Magee actually sponsored a contest for University of Oklahoma engineering students to come up with the design for the first meter. 

Once the parking meters were developed,  Magee started Magee-Hale Park-O-Meter Company to manufacture his parking meters - - later changed to P.O.M in 1976. The Park-O-Meter company was the first to manufacture the meters. 

The first meter was installed on July 16th, 1935. Meters replaced old system of chalking cars and having officers walk around later checking to see if the cars had exceeded time limits
Early meters were totally mechanical- powered by a clock-type mainspring (which required periodic winding). Some meters were automatic: just insert the coin and the clockworks moved the time remaining indicator to the appropriate location  - - convenient for drivers but requires maintenance personnel to wind meters periodically. Manual meters required drivers to turn a handle after inserting the coin-- reduced the overhead costs because it eliminated the need for maintenance personnel.

 

There were mixed reviews about the parking meters and whether or not they would prove to be a successful endeavor. There were also arguments over whether it was a regulation or a revenue ploy. Five main grievances  from a 1950 law review:

o   “the municipality has no power under its charter to install parking meters”

o   “the ordinances are ‘revenue measures’ under the guise of ‘police regulation’ ”

o   “the public right to free use of the highway is infringed”

o   “the right of an abutting landowner to reasonable access to his property is denied”

o   “parking meters have no reasonable relation to traffic control”

I read one account were a man was, understandably, very angry for having gotten a ticket while his car was parked in front of his own home. I can see the argument that a person should be able to park in front of their own home for as long as they choose. However, at the same time those are public roads so it is a tricky debate. 

 

The Heights

I walked up and down Main Street and tried to notice what I hadn't noticed before. As someone who is interested in the design and composition of cities and streets, I found this to be a fun task. The first thing that I immediately took note of are the lack of original facades. All of the store fronts were altered in one way or another. It's sad to think about all of the architectural history of Main Street that has been lost due to all of the "renovations" over the years. 

I did notice one sign in particular that appeared from a different era. O'Connell's has always been a place that interested me when I walked by it.

 I aways wondered how an upscale clothing store managed to stay open in the changing neighborhood. I mean, what do college students want with expensive suits?? Admittedly, I have never actually been inside. However, the big storefront windows (which, by the way, appear to have been replaced with newer windows while still trying to maintain the character of what once was) display all of their fine clothing.

 I did a quick search of the store when I got home and found out that it's a family owned business dating back to 1959. The store's website credited its loyal clientele base for its continued success. 

After spending some time thinking about O'Connell's, I began noticing the poles and benches on the street. 

 I noticed the intricate designs on the poles that almost appeared to be uniform on the different poles and even benches. 

I also took note of the upper stories on the buildings. They all appeared to be apartments, many of them probably occupied by students. 

The upper floors of the buildings in this picture I took even look like houses. Shango, for example, as a second story that is shingled like a house. 

Main Street has a lot of interesting sights to be seen if you take the time to actually look. I'm happy I finally got a little more history and background on O'Connell's, a store I always wondered about yet never took the time to investigate.