September 26, 1911 was opening day for the Skirvin Hilton, and today 13 stories and 225 rooms rise in front of you. Feel the weight of its history: it first opened on September 26, 1911 with 224 rooms in a ten-story, two-winged tower. You can imagine the 1925 moment when a third 12-story wing rose beside you, and the ambitious 1929–30 work that lifted all three wings to 13 floors, bringing the hotel to a total of 525 rooms.
The building carries its founder’s name—William Balser "Bill" Skirvin—and the family left wider marks: his daughter Perle Mesta would go on to serve as ambassador to Luxembourg under Harry Truman. On a September day in 1912, Theodore Roosevelt addressed a large crowd from a Skirvin balcony during his Bull Moose Party tour through Oklahoma; that balcony is part of the stories embedded here. In 1945 the hotel and the Skirvin Tower were sold to local hotelier Dan James, who carried out several renovations to revitalize the place and attract tourists.
Notice the Hilton flag flying today under Marcus Hotels & Resorts management, one more chapter for a member of Historic Hotels of America.