Mayo Hotel Renovation
Another piece of downtown history is slowly being resurrected. The Mayo Hotel in downtown Tulsa was dangerously close to being torn down before it was purchased in 2001 by a family that intended to renovate the hotel. The $250,000 investment is turning into a $20 million renovation that has been in process for the last seven years, the end product being a boutique hotel and loft living.
The 17 gutted floors above the Grand Hall will be converted to 72 lofts ranging between 720 and 2,800 square feet. Pre-leasing for the lofts begins in January 2009 and occupants should be able to move in by the following July. More than 100 people have already been placed on a waiting list for the lofts. A mock loft should be available for public viewing by this October.
The Mayo will also include 100 hotel rooms, two ballrooms–one of which is the 8,000 square-foot Crystal Ballroom on the 16th and 17th floors–, restaurant space and the coffee shop Topeca, which is already open for business. The grand staircase will also be restored and added to the Grand Hall.
Built in 1925 by George Winkler, the majestic, neo-classical hotel was once where celebrities, presidents and oilmen rested their heads while visiting the booming city.
With the exception of wedding events for public use on the main floor in the Grand Hall, the hotel has stood empty since the early 1980s.
The Mayo is just one of several hotel projects in the downtown area. Renovation of the Crowne Plaza, is nearing completion. The Atlas Life Building will welcome a Marriott hotel in coming years. Additional hotel groups expressed interest in tearing down the old City Hall and starting from the ground up.
[ Via Urban Tulsa ]
Photo credit: liberalmind1012
