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The Skirvin Hotel built in 1910
by oilman W.B. Skirvin, who was determined to have the finest hotel in
the Southwest. Opening its doors in 1911, the plush hotel had
two, 10-story towers containing 224 rooms, was one of the first
buildings in
Oklahoma
City to have air conditioning, then called "iced air,”
had running ice water in each room, a ballroom that seated 500, and
imported Austrian chandeliers that cost more than $100,000 each.
Skirvin’s daughter,
Perl Mesta, brought the hotel a national reputation by being the
ambassadress to Luxembourg, and then Washington’s "Hostess with the
Mostess," portrayed in the famed Broadway musical, "Call Me Madam."
In 1930, a third wing
was added, raising the structure to 14 stories and increasing capacity
to 525 rooms.
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.
In October, 1979 the hotel was listed on
National Register of Historic Places. When it closed in 1988 the
building stood empty for more almost fifteen years. However, the
historic hotel has now been fully restored and now open once again for
guests.
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Discoveries
America Oklahoma DVD