OKC Pics (Oklahoma City, Nichols Hills: department store, to move, renewal)

[Synopsis]

Originally Posted by Nameless

You southerners make me sick I want to go home to the land of "my people" (as in my parents home states) Iowa and Wisconsin.

Hey, my blood has thinned since I moved to Texas 18 years ago. It's physiological!

[peggydavis]

Thanks, HT. Love that park. I will have to go see the cacti again.

[happytown]

Skirvin Hotel after renovations...




pic taken around 1935 of The First National, City Place and some Art Deco building that was destroyed.

[Synopsis]

The Skirvin is one of the most beautiful hotels in the state, if not the country. It almost looks like a castle. Thank goodness they never tore it down for "newer and better."

[happytown]

Originally Posted by Synopsis

The Skirvin is one of the most beautiful hotels in the state, if not the country. It almost looks like a castle. Thank goodness they never tore it down for "newer and better."

Lots of history!
"Guests included cigar-chomping politicians, free-wheeling ranchers, blanketed Indians from the state's 70 tribes, oil-rich millionaires, mud-covered drillers, and even notorious bank robbers such as the famed Al Jennings, the ex-convict who launched his bid for governor from the lobby".

"Picture Audrey Hepburn in 1950s movies,” historian Bob Blackburn said. "KOMA radio would broadcast ‘LIVE from the Venetian Room atop the Skirvin Hotel' ...”



Skirvin has hosted 4 presidents, Elvis Presley, Johnny Carson, Bob Hope, countless politicians, oil barons, many Hollywood film stars like Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis and of course outlaws!


Here is another kinda freaky part of its history...

"The Oklahoma showplace became a popular speak-easy during prohibition. It was during this time that W.B. Skirvin was said to have had an affair with one of the hotel maids. According to legend, the maid soon conceived and in order to prevent a scandal, she was locked in a room on the top floor of the hotel. The desolate girl soon grew depressed and even after the birth of her child; she was still not let out of the room. Half out of her mind, she finally grabbed the infant child and threw herself, along with the baby, out of the window.

The maid’s name remains unknown, but her ghost continues to haunt the Skirvin Hotel and she was nicknamed “Effie” by former employees.

Though the old hotel closed in 1988, former guests would often report not being able to obtain a decent nights sleep due to the consistent sounds of a child crying.

Effie was apparently a woman of loose morals and many men who have stayed in the hotel have often reported being propositioned by a female voice while alone in their rooms. Others have seen the figure of a naked woman with them while taking a shower. One man even claimed he was sexually assaulted by an invisible entity during his stay.

Other strange noises and occurrences were reported by staff and guests including things seemingly being moved around by themselves, such as the maid’s cart being pushed down the hall when no one was there".

Hopefully Marcus Resorts brought in some ghostbusters before the renovations.

[happytown]

Close up pic of the Skirvin hotel...

[Jammie]

HT, your pics are always so nice. I was thinking about you today because they showed OKC on storm stories. They actually did a pretty nice job cause they showed several nice buildings around town. It ended up being a tornado story about Moore.

[Synopsis]

GORGEOUS!

[happytown]

Just got this book...It really has some very interesting information. I highly recommend for the 'OKC enthusiast'.

[Synopsis]

Interesting. I'll have to get that book HT. How many pages is it? Are there lots of nice pictures? We LIKE pictures.