Brady Hotel (Tulsa)
Encyclopedia
The original Brady Hotel, a three-story wood frame building, was built in 1903 at Archer and North Main in Tulsa, Oklahoma by W. Tate Brady. It was the first hotel in Tulsa with baths, conveniently located to the Frisco railroad depot, and very popular among the oil men attracted by the new oil discoveries at Glen Pool. This was also the meeting place where Charles N. Haskell
announced his candidacy to become the first governor of the new state of Oklahoma. It also served as a meeting place for Democrats, who laid the groundwork to control the Constitutional Convention and maintain segregation.
By 1910, Brady had added a high-rise annex, connected to the original hotel by a wooden passageway. The annex, advertised as fireproof, was constructed of steel and concrete. Unfortunately, a fire that broke out in the original building in 1935 also burned through the passageway and ignited the furnishings of the annex, which were not fireproof.
After the fire had been extinguished, nothing was left except the gutted annex. No attempt was made to rebuild the hotel. By that time, its location was no longer advantageous. The center of Tulsa's business district had already moved farther south, away from Union Depot, and businessmen increasingly traveled more by air than by railroad. Other hotels (e.g., Mayo
, Adams, Tulsa) had been built that catered to the needs of these travelers and were more conveniently located. The derelict structure (seen here in a 1942 photo) remained until it was demolished in 1975 as part of the Tulsa Urban Renewal project. It had stood more years (40) as a wreck than it had as a useful building.
Charles N. Haskell
Charles Nathaniel Haskell was an American lawyer, oilman, and statesman who served as the first Governor of Oklahoma. Haskell played a crucial role in drafting the Oklahoma Constitution as well as Oklahoma's statehood and admission into the United States as the 46th state in 1907...
announced his candidacy to become the first governor of the new state of Oklahoma. It also served as a meeting place for Democrats, who laid the groundwork to control the Constitutional Convention and maintain segregation.
By 1910, Brady had added a high-rise annex, connected to the original hotel by a wooden passageway. The annex, advertised as fireproof, was constructed of steel and concrete. Unfortunately, a fire that broke out in the original building in 1935 also burned through the passageway and ignited the furnishings of the annex, which were not fireproof.
After the fire had been extinguished, nothing was left except the gutted annex. No attempt was made to rebuild the hotel. By that time, its location was no longer advantageous. The center of Tulsa's business district had already moved farther south, away from Union Depot, and businessmen increasingly traveled more by air than by railroad. Other hotels (e.g., Mayo
Mayo Hotel
The Mayo Hotel is a historic building located in downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma at 115 West 5th Street. This Chicago School Building was built in 1925. It was designed by architect George Winkler and financed by John D. and Cass A. Mayo...
, Adams, Tulsa) had been built that catered to the needs of these travelers and were more conveniently located. The derelict structure (seen here in a 1942 photo) remained until it was demolished in 1975 as part of the Tulsa Urban Renewal project. It had stood more years (40) as a wreck than it had as a useful building.