Arcade Hotel

Arcade Hotel. . , Arcade Hotel , The Arcade Hotel began as a small wood frame structure. The hotel building, a so-called "house of ill-repute", was moved to Ponca City in 1897 from the city of Cross after Ponca City received a stop on the Santa Fe Railroad. Cross was located one mile northwest of Ponca City and was the original rail stop in the area. After the move the Arcade Hotel was cleaned up and renamed the Rhodes House in honor of the first Ponca City owners, Mr. and Mrs. C. R. Rhodes. , Maintaining its small wooden nucleus core, the building was renovated several times, both in body and spirit, before the final renovation in 1916 which changed the appearance to full Mission-Spanish Colonial Revival style and the name to the Arcade Hotel. This style was quite popular in Ponca City, both before and after the Arcade was completed. The renovation cost was over $100,000. The architect for the renovation is thought to have been Solomon Andrew Layton who also designed the Oklahoma State Capitol Building in Oklahoma City. , The new hotel's exterior wall surface was stucco and featured arcades on both the north and east facades. The design was compatible with the Civic Center Auditorium (today known as City Hall) at the east end of Grand Ave. which was completed at the same time. , Guests of the hotel included presidents William Howard Taft and Theodore Roosevelt, Oklahoma's beloved son Will Rogers, Rogers' pilot Wiley Post, boxing champion Jack Dempsey, baseball great Ty Cobb, Secretary of State William Jennings Bryant, the local Miller Brothers (Joe, Zack and George) of the 101 Ranch and Wild West Show and Ponca City founding father E.W. Marland (chairman of Marland Oil which later became Conoco Oil Co.). , Many an oil deal was struck at the Arcade in its heyday. Philanthropist and oil baron Lew Wentz, made his home at the Arcade from 1911 to 1949. He occupied two apartments on the west side with his living quarters on the ground floor and his sleeping quarters on the third. The one hundred room hotel registry one day listed the names of twenty-two millionaires. Manner of dress for the formal dining room required a dinner jacket for men. The Arcade was considered to be the finest hotel in northern Oklahoma in the early 1900's. The hotel was demolished in 1974. , Arcade Mural , The mural depicts the 1920's era hotel and persons that stayed in the hotel or frequently visited there. Left to right: E.W. Marland (founder of Marland Oil), wife Lyde Marland, Will Rogers (cowboy entertainer and humorist), the Miller Brothers - Zack, George and Joe (founders of the 101 Ranch and Wild West Show), local children Freddie Boettcher and Polly Vanselous Edwards (of the Big "V" Ranch Family), and Lew Wentz (oil baron and philanthropist). Also included in the mural are vintage cars of the era. Left to right: A Buick convertible (E.W. Marland's personal car), a Marland Oil delivery truck, a La Salle, and a Pierce Arrow (Lew Wentz's personal car). , 2008 Mural Donors , Platinum: ConocoPhillips, Eastman National Bank, Ponca City Main Street. , Gold: Fred and Sue Boettcher, Pat and Jerry Evans Family Foundation, Sherwin-William Paint Co. , Silver: Bank of Oklahoma, Charles and Bayard Casey, Don and Susan Cogman, Farah Wholesale/Fowler Vending, Festival of Angels, Toni Gibson, Tom and Sherry Muchmore/Ponca City News, Sally Edwards Parker, Ponca City Medical Center, Jim and Shanlee Rau. , Bronze: Phil and Ann Bandy, Mary French Barrett, Julie and Brenda Berman, Royce and Kathlyn Caldron, Cherokee Strip Credit Union, Victor and Marilyn Coates, Mark and Jayne Detten Family, The Foxworthy Family, Chuck and Suzie Greenwood, Head Country Bar-B-Q, Ken Holmes, Dr. Bob and Karen Howard, C.D. and Mary E. Hull Family, Terry Huston, Lewis Associates Architects, James McNeese, C.D. Northcutt, Pioneer RCB Bank, Carl and Carolyn Renfro, Sam and Wanda Sheehan, 101 Ranch Collectors Club.