Historic Hotels in Oklahoma City

Oklahoma City, in America's Heartland, was carved out of the wilderness of the great plains a little over a century ago by homesteaders. Historic hotels in this metropolitan city offer accommodations with character and personality.

Oklahoma City , the largest city in the state, sprawls across 625 square miles of America's heartland. In 1899, about 50,000 homesteaders gathered at the boundary of the territory to stake out land early on the day that unassigned lands were opened up to claims, On that day , April 22, nearly 10,000 people staked claims near Oklahoma Station, which is now Oklahoma City. Mass confusion reigned, as fights and quarrels burst out about boundaries.

A month after the Land Run, the Commercial Club (later the Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce) was formed. The chamber began to attracts railroads, which launched the new town on its way to economic prosperity.

There are two hotels that are members of Historic Hotels in America in Oklahoma City, The Colcord Hotel and The Skirvin Hilton Hotel.

Colcord Hotel

The Colcord is a 12 story building that opened in 1910, as the first skyscraper in Oklahoma City. The Colcord was a prime office and commercial space for 90 years.

The historic building was not only the first skyscraper in the city, it was the first building equipped with an elevator. The building was constructed of reinforced concrete, at the instruction of Charles Francis Colcord. Colcord had witnessed the devastation associated with the San Francisco earthquake and fires in 1906 and wanted to avoid that type of tragedy in his building. Every convenience and luxury of the era was incorporated in the building. The grand lobby was adorned with black and white marble.

A downtown landmark, Colcord was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.

The Colcord building experienced a $16 million renovation, transforming it into a luxury boutique hotel in 2006. The building's historic architectural elements and trademark elegance have been preserved. Modern conveniences have been added to turn the Colcord into a 21st century hotel.