Oklahoma City · Downtown & Automobile Alley
The Skirvin Hilton
W.B. Skirvin's hotel, opened in 1911 across from the Rock Island depot, gained a third wing in 1925 and taller wings in 1929–30; a Hilton since 2007.
- Built
- 1911Built 1910-11 as a hotel in two 10-story sections and opened September 26, 1911; a third wing followed in 1925 and all wings were raised in 1929-30.
- Architect
- Solomon Layton (per Wikipedia; the nomination leaves the architect field blank)
- Type
- Grand hotel
- Rooms
- 225
- Area
- Downtown & Automobile Alley
- Credentials
- Listed on the National Register of Historic Places; Historic Hotels of America member
The story
William Balser Skirvin, who made his money in oil exploration in Texas and Oklahoma, built the hotel in 1910-11 across from the Rock Island depot; his daughter Perle became the Washington hostess Perle Mesta and later U.S. ambassador to Luxembourg. Theodore Roosevelt spoke from a balcony on September 24, 1912. The hotel closed in 1988 and sat empty for 19 years until Oklahoma City bought it in 2002 and a $51 million renovation reopened it as a Hilton in 2007, cutting the room count to 225. A joint venture of Ortus Hotel Investments and the Chickasaw Nation’s Sovereign Properties Holdco bought it in 2022, and a $22 million renovation finished in 2025.
The ghost story
Oklahoma Magazine reports the local legend of Effie, a maid and lover of founder W.B. Skirvin who was hidden on the 10th floor to have his child and later jumped from a window with her baby, while noting there is no historical record she existed; it adds that male guests have reported the advances of a female presence. NBC Los Angeles reported in 2010 that New York Knicks players Eddy Curry and Jared Jeffries said a bad night at the hotel unsettled them.
Source: okmag.com
Good to know
- Elevator
- Address: One Park Avenue, Oklahoma City, OK 73102
Things to do
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Sources (2)
Last verified October 2026. Details change; confirm with the inn before you book.