Oklahoma City University

by local developer Anton H. Classen, who sought to begin a Methodist university in conjunction with other development projects. Construction began in 1902 and the school opened in 1904, three years before statehood, with an enrollment of 100 students. Anton Classen was heavily involved with development of early Oklahoma City and advanced the idea of a Methodist university in Oklahoma and helped spark the ideas of the Methodist Church to establish a Methodist university in Oklahoma. Construction began in 1902 and classes started in 1904 with enrollment growing by almost 100 students during that first year.
Epworth closed in 1911 after the school ran into financial difficulties. The church then formed "Methodist University of Oklahoma" in Guthrie, Oklahoma, which also absorbed a Methodist college in Texas, "Fort Worth University". Eventually, the school's trustees developed a plan to close the school in Guthrie and reopen in Oklahoma City. The school opened in Oklahoma City as "Oklahoma City College" in 1919, bolstered …