MAYO HOTEL, Reborn.....

[TheArtist]

Posted this on another forum. Thought I would share it here.


Photo by RyanSmartPhotography  http://www.flickr.com/photos/rsmart/

Photo by RyanSmartPhotography  http://www.flickr.com/photos/rsmart/



During its early, oil boom, heyday Tulsa had many grand hotels. Most are now gone, but a few remain, including the Mayo. For years it lay abandoned, mostly gutted, and falling into disrepair. Finally she is being brought back to life again.

Built in 1925 in the Chicago (Sullivanesque) style and patterned after the Plaza Hotel in NYC, the Mayo Hotel for a brief time was Oklahomas tallest building and had 600 rooms. The rich and famous would stay at this premier hotel which offered the finest amenities of its day. Abandoned for over 20 years, the Mayo seemed destined for the wrecking ball. In 2001 the Snyder family bought the hotel for 250,000$. They began a series of projects to restore the hotel and recently, through various funding arrangements totaling over 40 million dollars, they have embarked on the last leg of restoration. The Grand Ballroom will be completely restored to its former glory. The main lobby, with the grand staircase rebuilt, will also be restored. There will be 76 upscale loft apartments and 100 luxury hotel rooms.  Restoration is due to be completed fall 2009.

Old website with interesting tidbits of info.
http://mayohotel.com/index.php?name=gallery

New Website (still under construction)
http://www.themayohotel.com/index.htm


Some old adverts.






Some images that I have enlarged and computer enhanced.








Just a tiny sampling of some of the famous people who stayed at the Mayo during its heyday.


Restoration of the main lobby ceiling.


Some of the new plasterwork copied from original pieces.


Most of the floors were completely gutted. Photo by RyanSmartPhotography http://www.flickr.com/photos/rsmart/


South facing entrance.


Side alley facing east.


Current occupant of one of the street level spaces, is Topeca Coffee.


Even with the main lobby only partially repaired, it has become a favorite place for weddings and other occasions. I cant wait to see how this space looks once its completely done. Images from... http://www.zinkedesign.com/index.php/gallery/




The "Tulsa Now" forum is sponsoring a tour of the restoration on May 13. I will try to get some updated progress pics.

[AdamsHall]

Very cool!  Thanks for sharing.

[cannon_fodder]

Thanks William.  GREAT to see all the pictures and I'm really looking forward to the opening of that building!  I used to office in the ONEOK and would look across the way and shake my head at the waste of that building.

[Conan71]

Such a massive under-taking.  I'm really glad they managed to save this landmark.  So much Tulsa architecture has been destroyed.

[rwarn17588]

I'm a volunteer with the Tulsa segment for the Route 66 Dining and Lodging Guide. I can't wait for it to be open so it can be included as one of the hotel options.

[buckeye]

Great to see the grand old dame brought back to life.

[SXSW]

Does anyone know when they are planning on opening the hotel?  I was in OKC when the Skirvin reopened and it was a citywide celebration.  I imagine the same can be said for Tulsa when the Mayo has its grand opening.  If there is one building that represents how far downtown has come in the past decade, besides the arena, it would be a restored Mayo.

[Mjcpr]

Where could I find the info on the tour?   

[Gold]

Does anyone know when they are planning on opening the hotel?  I was in OKC when the Skirvin reopened and it was a citywide celebration.  I imagine the same can be said for Tulsa when the Mayo has its grand opening.  If there is one building that represents how far downtown has come in the past decade, besides the arena, it would be a restored Mayo.

I totally agree.  This is such a big deal and very meaningful for people who have long wanted to see progress in downtown.  I'd like to see a citywide celebration, so long as they don't junk it up like they did with the Belvedere. 

[titan43112]

Like the previous posts, I would like to see the grand reopening be a celebration. I would hope the city would be as excited about this as they were for "miss belvedere." At least it appears that the Mayo is guarenteed not to dissapoint. Thanks again for the post.

[PonderInc]

See the Mayo in May!

TulsaNow is hosting a free tour of the Mayo Hotel on Wed, May 13.  Tours will be held at 4:30 and 6:00 PM.  Please RSVP to: info @ tulsanow.org.  Tours are limited to 25 people for each time slot.

The tour will include the Crystal Ballroom, completed lofts, and of course, the lobby and Grand Staircase. 

A lot of people are eager to see this Tulsa icon as it returns to its former glory.  It's still a work in progress, but the building is stunning.  (You'll appreciate the work that has been done in comparison to some of the "before" pictures shown above.)

Thanks again to the Mayo Hotel and the Snyder family for inviting us to share in the excitement as the Mayo nears completion.

[DTowner]

Today's Tulsa World reports that the Mayo Hotel will be opening to guest 4 months sooner than originally planned - by the end of September.  This is great news.  It is hard to overstate the significance of the Mayo's rebirth, both as a practical matter and as a symbol of downtown's renewal.

http://www.tulsaworld.com/business/article.aspx?subjectid=32&articleid=20090806_32_A1_Asuite516183

[swake]

Today's Tulsa World reports that the Mayo Hotel will be opening to guest 4 months sooner than originally planned - by the end of September.  This is great news.  It is hard to overstate the significance of the Mayo's rebirth, both as a practical matter and as a symbol of downtown's renewal.

http://www.tulsaworld.com/business/article.aspx?subjectid=32&articleid=20090806_32_A1_Asuite516183

Great news

[cannon_fodder]

I bet they are really disappointed in their choice of carpenters given the cost savings, quality of work, and the fact the job will be done early . . . 

[brianh]

I don't know any of the history of this building so i was wondering why it closed down in the first place? Was it back at some period when Tulsa had fallen on hard economic times or did they just run it into the ground and never upgrade things?