Skirvin Hilton
History
The history of the Skirvin Hilton is largely the story of one man, William "Bill" Skirvin. Skirvin came west and staked out his holdings in the Run of 1889. He later moved to Texas, where he made a fortune in land development and oil. In 1906, the Skirvin family, including daughter Perle, who later would become Perle Mesta the famed Washington hostess, relocated to Oklahoma City.
When Skirvin got wind of a New York developer’s plan to buy his four downtown lots and erect a luxury hotel, Skirvin jumped on the idea himself. He approached his close friend, architect Solomon A. Layton to design a six-story, U-shaped hotel. The Skirvin family occupied the ninth floor of the hotel, and its menagerie of dogs, raccoons, hawks, and other animals were kept on the roof. Bill Skirvin took great pride in his “hobby” and was often found in the hotel lobby, personally greeting guests. He also welcomed both Republicans and Democrats, making the hotel a center of political activity during Oklahoma’s early years of statehood. The Skirvin was designed to be self-sufficient, with its own gas pipeline and electric plant.
