Mayo Hotel, Tulsa

The Mayo Hotel, a towering presence in downtown Tulsa since 1925, is one of Oklahoma’s most storied landmarks. Designed by architect George Winkler and financed by brothers John D. and Cass A. Mayo, the hotel was once the tallest building in the state. With grand Doric columns, decorative terracotta balconies, and a stately corniced crown, the 600-room hotel became an immediate magnet for celebrities, dignitaries, and oil barons.

From ceiling fans in every room to Tulsa’s first running ice water, the Mayo was the gold standard of hospitality in its heyday. It welcomed an impressive roster of 20th-century icons-including John F. Kennedy, Charlie Chaplin, Babe Ruth, Bob Hope, and Mae West-and even served as the residence of oil magnate J. Paul Getty. It also earned a cameo in William Inge’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play Picnic, where the lead character dreams of becoming a bellhop at the Mayo.

The hotel’s history is not without blemish. Though President Truman personally intervened in 1951 to ensure his daughter’s maid could stay at the segregated property, she was still required to use the service elevator. In 1955, a major interior remodel reduced the original two-story lobby to one level to make room for the Pompeian Court function hall.

After a series of ownership changes and a failed renovation in the early 1980s, the building stood stripped and empty for years-an elegant shell of its former self. Finally, in 2009, following a $42 million restoration, the Mayo reopened with 102 hotel rooms, 76 upscale residences, and glamorous event spaces that helped reignite downtown Tulsa’s revitalization.

Today, the Mayo Hotel stands once again as a symbol of the city’s opulent past and dynamic future-a landmark reborn.