Ardmore in Carter County, Oklahoma — The American South (West South Central)
The Original Whittington Hotel
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 4, 2025
1. The Original Whittington Hotel Marker
The original Whittington Hotel was opened on the corner of Caddo and Main Street in 1891. It was rebuilt with brick and sandstone following Ardmore’s Great Fire of 1895. It had the town’s first metal-cage Otis elevator. The hotel was closed in 1965 and was later razed.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1891.
Location. 34° 10.383′ N, 97° 7.51′ W. Marker is in Ardmore, Oklahoma, in Carter County. It is on B Street Northeast north of East Main Street, on the right when traveling north. The marker and Otis elevator cage are located on the north side of the Ardmore Train Station. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 251 East Main Street, Ardmore OK 73401, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Oklahoma’s Chickasaw Nation. It is also in the American South, specifically on the prairies, and on the Southern Plains. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Daubes’ Store (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); Killing of US Marshal Dow Braziel (about 800 feet away); Hotel Wisnor / Carter-Booker Building (approx. 0.2 miles away); Masonic Temple 1896 (approx. 0.2 miles away); The First National Bank and Trust Company of Ardmore (approx. 0.2 miles away); Simpson-Little-Colston Building (approx. ¼ mile away); The Banker's National Bank Building (approx. ¼ mile away); Ardmoreite Building (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Ardmore.
Also see . . .
1. The Whittington Hotel (photo) (Oklahoma Historical Society).
Excerpt: A four story building made of brick with columns supporting front balconies. Small triangular roofs cover the front sidewalk and a curved balcony roof is over the side street entrance. A horse and buggy are parked in front.(Submitted on October 27, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
2. The Whittington Hotel (OklahomaHistory.net).
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 4, 2025
2. The Original Whittington Hotel Marker & Otis Elevator Cage
Excerpt: When the Whittington hotel, with 72 rooms, was built in 1896 it was said to be the finest hotel between Kansas City and Fort Worth. Just a block away from the railroad station, it was still considered necessary or at least high toned, to send a stagecoach to fetch the patrons. The Whittington was the property of W. F. Whittington, a Texas dry goods salesman who came to Ardmore in 1880 and built the first three hotels, the first destroyed by fire in 1895, the second destroyed by the explosion in 1915 and the third which stood until 1972.(Submitted on October 27, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Sarah Agnes Wiggins Whittington, his wife, died in 1893 at 40 years of age, leaving her husband with four children to raise. Jewel, the youngest daughter, was born in the year that her father built the three-story masonry building with white columns facing Main Street. In 1987 Miss Whittington was interviewed and told of the hotel’s expansion after the discovery of the Healdton oilfield. At that time her father added another story to accommodate the many men who poured into Ardmore to take advantage of exploration opportunities. This addition made it the tallest building in the city. The Whittingtonwhich accommodated 100 guests, boasted clerks, bell boys and food service and made history by installing the first metal cage Otis elevator in Ardmore.Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 4, 20253. The Original Whittington Hotel Marker & Otis Elevator CageLooking south; the Ardmore Train Station is in the background.
Operating on the American plan, the Whittington’s rates were $2 a day or $2.50 for the better rooms. Tile floors, oak furniture and plain white walls where the decor of the lobby, where a wood-burning stove furnished heat until it later was replaced by steam heat. Mr. Whittington ran the hotel until 1925 when Jewel took over management.
An astute businesswoman, Miss Jewel Whittington saw the handwriting on the wall and in the 1970s sold the Whittington hotel “lock, stock and barrel” to a Chicago business firm. The old hotel was raised and the bricks and fixtures moved off the property. The famous Otis elevator cage lived on as a gazebo in the Northwest part of town until 2005 when it was returned to East Main Street as a gift to the Main Street Authority (from the book Territory Town: The Ardmore Story by Sally Gray 2006)
Credits. This page was last revised on October 27, 2025. It was originally submitted on October 23, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 106 times since then and 62 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 26, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. 3. submitted on October 27, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
