Southern Hotel - El Reno, OK - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

Built in 1909, the Southern Hotel was a grand place. Located across from the Rock Island railroad depot, which handled passenger rail traffic both north-south and east-west, it offered fine accommodations for the traveling public.

The Southern is a three-story brick building with a classic look. It originally had 125 rooms and offered food and rest for those passing through El Reno. Its entrance portico was quite impressive, with a double-door entrance with wide side lights and transom, and Ionic columns. A second-story, railed balcony was above. The facade has three bays, with groups of three windows in each on the second and third levels. Frieze areas are between the windows on each floor. On the separating pilasters, cast stone decorations appear, topped by relief lion heads. At the roof line is an elaborate cornice with a row of projected decorations, running on the west and south sides. The building has a full basement, and still had an operating elevator at the time it was placed on the National Register in 1978.

The hotel had a large and impressive foyer, and was the venue for many local banquets, political gatherings and meetings. An area on the ground floor was also the site of bars, cafes and other shops over the years.

During the late 1940's, with the increase in private automobile traffic and the decreasing railroad passenger service, it was the beginning of the end for the Southern Hotel. A later owner remodeled the 125 rooms into 14 apartments and they were occupied, mostly by elderly, for awhile. A sign above the entrance still reads Southern Manor Apartments.

Today, the upper floors appear to be vacant and what the hotel had to offer is no longer needed. On the ground floor, the El Reno Senior Citizens Center appears to still occupy a portion of the building. It is only hoped that there will be someone to refurbish this lovely icon. In recent years, the Rock Island depot has been renovated and currently houses a museum, and the grounds across the street from the hotel are filled with historic buildings and items. Perhaps there is still hope for the Southern Hotel yet.

Street address: 319 S. Grand El Reno, OK US 73036 County / Borough / Parish: Canadian County Year listed: 1978 Historic (Areas of) Significance: Event Periods of significance: 1900-1924; 1925-1949 Historic function: Domestic Current function: Vacant Privately owned?: yes Primary Web Site: [Web Link] Secondary Website 1: [Web Link] Secondary Website 2: [Web Link] Season start / Season finish: Not listed Hours of operation: Not listed National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
Please give the date and brief account of your visit. Include any additional observations or information that you may have, particularly about the current condition of the site. Additional photos are highly encouraged, but not mandatory.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   10/25/2019 wildernessmama visited it