Skirvin Hilton Hotel
Encyclopedia
The Skirvin Hotel at the corner of 1st Street and Broadway in downtown Oklahoma City
is the city's oldest hotel. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
, whose daughter, Perle Mesta
, became the ambassador to Luxembourg under Harry Truman. The hotel closed down in 1988 and sat abandoned for the next 19 years. In 2007, it was renovated and re-opened as part of the Hilton
chain of hotels.
teams, notably in 2010 when the New York Knicks
famously blamed their loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder
on the haunting and when the Chicago Bulls
reported doors slamming shut on their own and strange sounds outside their rooms.
As the story goes, the hotel's original owner, W. B. Skirvin, had an affair with a maid, which led to a pregnancy. To protect his reputation and avoid a scandal, Skirvin locked the maid on the 10th floor. The maid became depressed and even after the birth of her child, she was still not let out of her room. She eventually jumped out a window killing herself and the baby, without notice in newspapers. The maid was apparently a woman of loose morals and many men who have stayed in the hotel have reported being propositioned by a female voice while alone in their rooms. Others claim to 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. Over the years, Hotel staff say they have seen objects moving by themselves and have heard strange noises at night.
Oklahoma city
Oklahoma City is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma.Oklahoma City may also refer to:*Oklahoma City metropolitan area*Downtown Oklahoma City*Uptown Oklahoma City*Oklahoma City bombing*Oklahoma City National Memorial...
is the city's oldest hotel. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
History
First opened in 1911, the Skirvin Hotel contained 224 rooms in a ten-story two-winged tower. A third 12-story wing was added in 1925, and then in 1929–30 all three wings were leveled off to 14 floors with a total of 525 rooms. The hotel is named for its founder, William Balser "Bill" SkirvinWilliam Balser Skirvin
William Balser Skirvin was an American real estate developer and oil millionaire. He is best known for his establishment of the Skirvin Hotel, an Oklahoma City landmark now listed on the National Register of Historic Places....
, whose daughter, Perle Mesta
Perle Mesta
Perle Skirvin Mesta was an American socialite, political hostess, and U.S. Ambassador to Luxembourg ....
, became the ambassador to Luxembourg under Harry Truman. The hotel closed down in 1988 and sat abandoned for the next 19 years. In 2007, it was renovated and re-opened as part of the Hilton
Hilton Hotels & Resorts
Hilton Hotels & Resorts is an international chain of full-service hotels and resorts founded by Conrad Hilton and now owned by Hilton Worldwide. Hilton hotels are either owned by, managed by, or franchised to independent operators by Hilton Worldwide. Hilton Hotels became the first coast-to-coast...
chain of hotels.
Haunting
Rumours of a haunting in the hotel persist, and have even been cited by NBANational Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
teams, notably in 2010 when the New York Knicks
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
famously blamed their loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder
Oklahoma City Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder are a professional basketball franchise based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ; their home court is at Chesapeake Energy Arena....
on the haunting and when the Chicago Bulls
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois, playing in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1966. They play their home games at the United Center...
reported doors slamming shut on their own and strange sounds outside their rooms.
As the story goes, the hotel's original owner, W. B. Skirvin, had an affair with a maid, which led to a pregnancy. To protect his reputation and avoid a scandal, Skirvin locked the maid on the 10th floor. The maid became depressed and even after the birth of her child, she was still not let out of her room. She eventually jumped out a window killing herself and the baby, without notice in newspapers. The maid was apparently a woman of loose morals and many men who have stayed in the hotel have reported being propositioned by a female voice while alone in their rooms. Others claim to 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. Over the years, Hotel staff say they have seen objects moving by themselves and have heard strange noises at night.