Next up for us will be The Skirvin Hotel

This summer will be...
 The Skirvin Hotel in Oklahoma City
Not only is it one of the absolute best hotels in Oklahoma City, the downtown Skirvin Hotel is one of the metro's most historic establishments. But is it haunted? That's the question so many want to know. Well, here is a brief history of the Skirvin Hotel with information on the ghost stories and reported hauntings. Also, get information on some other reportedly haunted places in OK.





William Balser "Bill" Skirvin, a Land Run participant and wealthy Texas oilman, moved his family to Oklahoma City in 1906. He invested in oil and land, increasing his wealth considerably, and in 1910 decided to build a hotel on one of his properties at 1st and Broadway after an investor from New York City offered to buy the lot in order to build the "biggest hotel" in the state. Oklahoma City had only one luxury hotel at the time, and Skirvin thought it was an excellent investment.
      Skirvin approached Solomon A. Layton, a famous architect in the area who had designed the Oklahoma State Capitol building, and plans were finalized for a 6-story, U-shaped hotel. But in late 1910, just as construction of the 5th story neared completion, Layton convinced Skirvin that OKC's growth justified 10 stories rather than 6.


  September 26, 1911, Skirvin opened the newly completed luxury hotel to the public. The lobby was decorated in English Gothic, and the wings of the hotel contained a drugstore, retail shops and a cafe. The hotel had 225 rooms and suites, each with a private bath, telephone, hardwood furniture and velvet carpet.
      According to many accounts, the hotel became a center for well-known businessmen and politicians over the next 10 years. Skirvin began to expand the hotel, slowly at first, building a new 12-story wing and then eventually raising all wings to 14-stories by 1930. This increased room total to 525 and added a roof garden and cabaret club as well as doubled the lobby size.

As much of the country was hit with a depression, the oil boom in Oklahoma City kept the Hotel going strong, and despite failed extension attempts and family problems, William Skirvin operated it until his death in 1944. Skirvin's 3 children sold the property to D.W. James in 1945.

      James immediately began modernizing the hotel extensively, adding numerous amenities such as room service, a beauty shop, a barber shop, a swimming pool and a house physician. The Skirvin only grew in prominence as it hosted Presidents Harry Truman and Dwight D. Eisenhower. But by 1959, suburban sprawl was severely hurting downtown OKC, and James sold the Skirvin hotel to Chicago investors in 1963. It was then sold again in 1968 to H.T. Griffin.

     Griffin spent millions remodeling the Skirvin Hotel, but business continued to suffer and Griffin filed for bankruptcy in 1971. After changing hands a few times, the hotel underwent more renovation in the 1970's, then again in the early 1980's, and it eventually closed in 1989.
     In 2002, the city of Oklahoma City acquired the property and put together a financing package to "renovate, restore and reopen." The Skirvin Hotel finally reopened on February 26, 2007.


The Skirvin Haunting
The primary ghost story of the Skirvin Hotel centers on a young maid nicknamed "Effie." According to the legends, William Skirvin had an affair with Effie, and she became pregnant. In order to avoid scandal, he supposedly locked her in a room on the 10th floor, originally the top floor, where she grew desolate when she was not allowed to leave, even after giving birth. She is said to have jumped, her infant child in her arms, out of the window.
It was not uncommon over the hotel's existence for guests to complain about an inability to sleep, often due to the incessant sounds of a child crying. In addition, according to some, a nude Effie is known to appear to male hotel guests while showering, and her voice can be heard propositioning them. Staff members have reported everything from strange noises to things moving by themselves.
The Effie legend is a popular one, but there is no historical evidence for it. Though William Skirvin is said to be a noted womanizer and the 10th floor was likely a popular spot for gamblers and prostitutes in the 1930's, writers Steve Lackmeyer and Jack Money did extensive research for their book "Skirvin" but found no evidence of an Effie. The only recorded suicide at the Skirvin was that of a salesman who jumped from his window.

Some personal experiences


Yes, it is haunted!
My mom, daughter and I stayed there last night. I didn't know anything about the "ghost" until this morning. My daughter and I were exploring the hotel last night and I heard a baby crying but my daughter couldn't hear it at all. Then about 10 p.m., my mom and I both heard a noise that neither one of us had ever heard before in our lives. At that point we weren't really scared because we didn't know anything about a ghost. But we couldn't sleep at all. Things just seemed really creepy so I googled it this morning. I have no doubt there is some spirit there.—Guest Julia
Valentines Day.
I surprised my boyfriend with a stay there last night for valentines day and during the night, probably around 11:30 pm, all the lights in our room went on and off like three times, but all at differnt times so it obviously wasnt a power surge. Defently creepy.—Guest Cailtin
I worked there
my niece and I worked there in 2007 and had on occasion had wierd things happen. On one occasion my niece was in the employee cafeteria and in the hall something called her name out. She ran up and down the hall looking for someone and could not find a soul. On another occasion I was in room 316 doing a turndown service and the radio kept turning to a jazz station. Everytime I turned it back to the easy listening station it would turn back to jazz. that is untill I asked whatever it was to stop. Needless to say I dreaded going back in that room again.—Guest dot dillon
Crying baby!!!
My husband and I are from OKC, we've heard that the Skirvin was haunted, but never thought anything about it. We had a room on the 11th floor and it was really nice, it was freezing cold no matter what we set the temp to, but everything seemed normal. Then around midnight we were watching tv and I could hear someone screaming, my husband walk down the hall but never heard anything from the rooms around us. The sound became louder and we figured out the noise was being carried through the air vents and it was no doubt a screaming infant. Being a mom, I was so upset by the sound I made my husband go floor to floor with me to find this poor child and see if we could help in anyway, but each floor was freakishly silent, we returned to our room and again the crying and the faint sound of a woman's voice coming through the air vent. So just out of curiosity I did an Internet search of the Skirvin and immediately saw the title "Skirvin crying baby". We packed up and went home! scary!—Guest Tlehman



The Legend Grows
   Nevertheless, the tale of Effie continues to be told, and many are convinced that the Skirvin Hotel is haunted. In January of 2010, members of the New York Knicks basketball team even told the New York Daily News they were unable to sleep the night before a game with the Oklahoma City Thunder. "I definitely believe there are ghosts in that hotel," said center Eddy Curry. Forward Jared Jeffries added, "The place is haunted. It’s scary.  Also the Orlando Magic and the Chicago Bulls reported doors slamming shut on their own and strange sounds outside their rooms.