Hotel Aldridge - Wewoka, OK
Posted by: hamquilter
N 35° 09.409 W 096° 29.479
14S E 728508 N 3893315
The Hotel Aldridge was the first permanent lodging facility built after the big oil boom in the 1920's.
Waymark Code: WMX6FV
Location: Oklahoma, United States
Date Posted: 12/03/2017
Views: 1
The Aldridge Hotel was built and owned by E. C. Aldridge, a local politician and petroleum executive, and designed by A.C. Davis & Sons. In 1923 when the Seminole Oil Field was discovered, the population of Wewoka rose 800% in just a short while. At the time there was no permanent housing for the influx of oilfield workers and they slept in tents, on the ground, in garages, wood sheds and even the courthouse was turned into a rooming house. The Hotel Aldridge offered some relief to this situation.
This is a four-story brick building with a basement, constructed in 1927. The ground floor brick is dark brown in color, with the upper floors a tan brick. The building does not have a great deal of ornamentation, but the upper windows have dark brick sills, the corners of the facade have dark brick quoins, and just below the roof line are two rows of dark brick, with dark bricks used to form diamonds in a row across all sides of the building.
At the time the hotel was placed on the National Register in 1986, the building had commercial businesses on the ground floor and apartments above. In 1958, the building had been converted to a retirement center with 23 apartments. Today, the building is completely boarded up. The one-over-one windows on all levels and the storefronts beneath are covered with plywood. But, there is hope yet! A sign on the upper facade reads: Renovations are coming to historic Aldridge this summer - 16 apartments with retail space at street level."
Street address: Northeast corner 3rd Street & S. Wewoka Ave. Wewoka, OK US 74884
County / Borough / Parish: Seminole County
Year listed: 1986
Historic (Areas of) Significance: Event, Archuitecture-Engineering
Periods of significance: 1925-1949
Historic function: Domestic
Current function: Vacant, Not in Use
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
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