Look for the ten-story high-rise on your right, a solid rectangular block of red brick crowned by a heavy, decorative metal cornice that hangs noticeably over the street.
This is the Severs Hotel. If you recall our earlier discussion about Jackson Barnett... well, Frederick Severs represented a very different kind of wealth. He didn't just find himself with a fortune; he carved it out of the landscape with sheer will. Severs was known as the "Cattle King." He was an Arkansas native who served as a Confederate Captain, yet he was so integrated into this region that he was formally adopted into the Creek Nation and married the daughter of a Creek Chief. He was a man who successfully straddled the line between the rugged Indian Territory and the polite society that was replacing it.
In 1911, Severs decided to build a monument to that success. He actually tore down his own family home, which sat on this very lot, to construct what he envisioned as the finest hotel in the Southwestern United States. And he certainly didn't cut corners. He hired the firm Mariner & LaBeaume from St. Louis to design this Sullivanesque structure. You'll recognize the style from the Manhattan Building-vertical lines emphasizing height and intricate ornamentation, built upon a skeleton of reinforced concrete.
When it opened, it was a marvel of modern comfort. Like the Manhattan Building, it featured ice water circulated directly to the guest rooms. Along with electric refrigeration, these were rare luxuries that signaled Muskogee had truly arrived. They even roasted their own "Severs Blend Coffee," sold in cans that became prized souvenirs across the state.
But grand ambition often demands a high price. Frederick Severs died in April 1912, just months before the grand opening. He never saw the lobby filled with Muskogee’s elite. He missed the night in 1920 when Alice Robertson stood in the ballroom and celebrated her election as the first woman from Oklahoma sent to the U.S. Congress. He even missed the New York Yankees, who chose to stay here in 1922 because they could walk to the ballpark to play the Brooklyn Dodgers.
The hotel also holds darker memories. In 1930, room 817 became the scene of the infamous "Severs Hotel Murders." Two brothers from Connecticut were found shot to death in their room. Their business associate, a seventy-three-year-old man named Powell Seeley, was found in the bathroom with shaving cream still on his face. He claimed he was hard of hearing and simply hadn't noticed the double homicide happening a few feet away. Despite the absurdity of his story, and the damning evidence found at the Baltimore, the prime suspect escaped custody and the crime was never officially solved.
Today, the building has transitioned into office space, hosting tenants like the Bank of Oklahoma. Yet, the façade remains exactly as Severs intended... a permanent legacy for a man who never got to check in.
Let's continue to the Railway Exchange Building, the last of our skyscraper tour, which is just a three-minute walk away.
