The Severs Hotel in

Muskogee, Oklahoma Muskogee () is the thirteenth-largest city in Oklahoma and the county seat of Muskogee County. Home to Bacone College, it lies approximately southeast of Tulsa. The population of the city was 36,878 as of the 2020 census, a 6.0 percent decrease ...

is one of five high-rises, ranging from five to ten stories tall, built in 1910–1912 and included in the Pre-Depression Muskogee Skyscrapers Thematic Resources study. The others are: * Baltimore Hotel, * Manhattan Building, * Railroad Exchange Building, and * Surety Building. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1982.

History

Frederick B. Severs (1835–1912) built the 10-story hotel in downtown Muskogee early in the 20th Century. He was a wealthy Muskogean whose house had previously occupied the land where the hotel that was named for him was built. Construction actually began in 1911.Bell, Roger and Jerry Hoffman. ''Muskogee''. p. 32. Arcadia Publications. 2014.
. Available on Google Books. Accessed February 9, 2017. Sadly, Severs did not live to see his hotel completed, since he died April 12, 1912. The grand opening was held on August 31, 1912. In October of that year, the renowned actress Sarah Bernhard stayed at the Severs while she performed in a play, "Queen Elizabeth." Muskogee's

Rotary Club Rotary International is one of the largest service organizations in the world. Its stated mission is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through hefellowship of business, profe ...

chapter, chartered in November, 1913, met each Thursday at the Severs. In 1922, an exhibition major league baseball game between the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

and the

Brooklyn Dodgers The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1884 as a member of the American Association (19th century), American Association before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brooklyn until 1957, after which the ...

was played at Athletic Park in Muskogee. The Yankees chose to stay at the Severs Hotel because it was within walking distance of the ball park.Mullins, Jonita, "Severs Hotel figured in much of city’s history." ''Muskogee Phoenix''.
January 25, 2015. Accessed September 4, 2015.

Design and construction

This building was designed and constructed by Mariner & La Beaume, an architectural firm of St. Louis. The architectural style is

Sullivanesque Louis Henry Sullivan (September 3, 1856 – April 14, 1924) was an American architect, and has been called a "father of skyscrapers" and "father of modernism". He was an influential architect of the Chicago School, a mentor to Frank Lloy ...

. Its foundation, columns, beams and slabs are of reinforced concrete. The building also has a basement. The exterior walls are covered with three layers of red brick, totaling thickness. The building has a decorative metal cornice that is high and has a overhang."National Register Properties in Oklahoma: Severs Hotel."
Accessed February 9, 2017. After it opened, the Severs Hotel was considered the finest hotel in the Southwestern United States. It had 216 rooms, 146 of which had private bathrooms, rather uncommon at that time. Among its amenities was a chilled water plant that circulated ice water to all of the rooms. The kitchen had an electric refrigeration system, also considered unique at that time and place.

Notes

References

External links

{{NRHP in Muskogee County, Oklahoma Skyscrapers in Muskogee, Oklahoma Skyscraper hotels in Oklahoma Hotels established in 1912 Hotel buildings completed in 1912 1912 establishments in Oklahoma