Colcord Hotel

Colcord Hotel is a luxury boutique hotel located in downtown Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States. The building was finished in 1909 and has been considered Oklahoma City's first skyscraper. It is 145 feet (44 m) tall and has 14 floors.

Colcord Hotel
The hotel's exterior
General information
StatusComplete
TypeHotel
Restaurant
Location15 North Robinson Avenue, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S.
Coordinates35°28′00″N 97°31′00″W
Opening1909, 2006 (redevelopment)
Cost$16 million (redevelopment)
OwnerDevon Energy Corporation
ManagementCoury Collection Hotels
Height
Roof145 ft (44 m)
Technical details
Floor count14
Floor area9,217 m2 (99,210 sq ft)
Lifts/elevators6
Design and construction
ArchitectWilliam Wells
Paul M. Coury (redevelopment)
DeveloperCharles Colcord
Main contractorManhattan Construction Company (redevelopment)
References
[1]

Originally an office tower developed by Charles Colcord, the building was renovated by Coury Hospitality and reopened as a luxury hotel in 2006. Colcord Hotel is a member of Historic Hotels of America, the official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.[2]

History

Colcord built the Colcord Building, now known as the Colcord Hotel, which was the first skyscraper in Oklahoma City. It was also the first steel-reinforced concrete building in Oklahoma, because Colcord had seen the devastation to lesser buildings in San Francisco following the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and resulting fires. Originally designed with two wings, only the east wing and connecting elevator/stair segment were constructed. Architect William A. Wells was a protégé of Louis Sullivan, a founder of the Chicago School style of architecture. Sullivan designed the molds for the decorative terra cotta ornamentation on the first, second, and twelfth floors of the Colcord.[20] The building survived Oklahoma City's Urban Renewal efforts and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Developer Paul Coury, with the help of investors including Beck Design and Manhattan Construction, has transformed the office building into a boutique hotel adjacent to the state's tallest building, the new 51 story, 274 metres/900 feet Devon Tower. The Colcord Building is now owned by Devon Energy. Colcord also built the Commerce Exchange Building and the Biltmore Hotel.

Architecture

When the Colcord Building was completed in 1910, at 12 stories, it was the first skyscraper in Oklahoma City. Constructed by Charles Francis Colcord, he chose William A. Wells as the architect. Wells was a protégé of Louis Sullivan, a founder of the Chicago School style of architecture. Sullivan was also the designer of the molds for the decorative terra cotta, which adorns the first, second, and twelfth floors of the Colcord Building. The building was constructed of reinforced concrete after Colcord witnessed terrible devastation associated with the San Francisco earthquake and resulting fires in 1906. He wanted to avoid the same catastrophic loss of his building. Every luxury of the time was incorporated in the construction. Marble adorned the columns and walls of the main lobby, the original nickel and bronze letterbox and elevator doors shone, and an ornamental plaster ceiling crowned the space. This landmark was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.

See also

Preceded by
Incumbent
Tallest Buildings in Oklahoma City
19091923
44m
Succeeded by
100 Park Avenue Building

References

  1. "Colcord Hotel". SkyscraperPage.
  2. "Colcord Hotel, a Historic Hotels of America member". Historic Hotels of America. Retrieved January 28, 2014. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
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