| City/Town: • Nowata |
| Location Class: • Hotel/Motel |
| Built: • 1909 | Abandoned: • N/A |
| Historic Designation: • Abandoned Atlas Foundation Contribution to POK Most Endangered List (2022) |
| Status: • Abandoned |
| Photojournalist: • Billy Dixon • David Linde • Johnny Fletcher |
The Savoy Hotel was a magnificent grand structure for architectural standards back then and even now. Constructed in 1909 the elegant hotel boasted sixty-two rooms, a telegraph office, billiards, dining room, pantry, and a kitchen. Being as Nowata was a prominent oil boom town with a higher population turnout than most boomtowns reaching over 2,000 just before the hotel was built. This made a majority of travelers that stayed at the hotel businessmen and workers of the oil and gas industry.
Shortly after being built the patrons of the hotel created a ball team, most had experience with Eastern college teams. The Savoy was soon after sold in 1912 for a price of $85,000 to J.P. Hyatt and the general manager Floyd Dyer would retain his position. It wasn’t but a year later that the ownership changed again to J.R. Cruff after he traded J.P. Hyatt 9,000 acres of land in Texas for the hotel. It was under his ownership that the Savoy really took off, in 1915-16 when radium water was discovered from a well drilled in the town. Talks of health benefits, anti-aging properties and other advantages circulated the town. It was announced that if the citizens could raise $2,000 the owner of the Savoy Hotel would turn the establishment into a bathhouse. The bathhouse had the latest and most modern apparatus with bathing experts in charge. The mineral baths could allegedly heal rheumatism, stomach trouble, malaria, nervous trouble, and skin diseases.
In the 1920s the building fell into multiple hands, including Messrs A.A. and Henry K. Then onto F.E. Crandall who was responsible for giving the hotel $15,000 worth of refurnishing and decorations. Onto N.O. Tate in 1925 who installed 16 & 8-inch electric fans in the dining area. For a short period in the 1940s, the third floor of the Savoy Hotel was used as a temporary hospital during the ongoing battle to have their own county hospital built, the enterprise ended in 1946.
Throughout its life as a functioning establishment, it was bought, sold, and renovated numerous times. Unfortunately with the declining population and tourism of the town, the hotel was officially abandoned in the early-mid 2000s. The most recent go at renovating the defunct hotel being around 2009 when the ‘Save the Savoy!’ was launched by the owner Jay Mitchell. A lot of work had gone into constructing an entire new roof on the building but tragedy struck the project when a lone construction worker fell 40 feet from the roof. He was discovered by a passerby and taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. A lawsuit was later filed for $75,000 in damages by the deceased family. Since then work has not been done on the historic hotel leaving it to sit and deteriorate.
Gallery Below of The Savoy Hotel
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Please e-mail be back, I have some questions about this property. Thank you.
this is amazing.
Thanks for sharing!
Thanks For Sharing!
Thanks for sharing!
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thanks for sharing!
Will love to add this to a place to visit. – Check us out!
So what’s going on with the building in 2022 ?
Is it just going to fall down, or be a decrepit eyesore until it does ?
Does anyone even own it, or is it county property for taxes ?
My companion's grandparents in-law used to claim this building. My companion and her better half had two flats there, the main transitory while they arranged the other. The proprietors additionally lived in a loft there. They were all on the second floor. We ventured up to the third floor once, even in 2002 it was a dubious place. I trust the last time I remained there was in 2003
I was born in the Savoy. The West half of the 2nd floor were apts and the East half was the hospital. Mom walked down the hall to the hospital and I was delivered by Dr Kiefer Davis on May 6, 1942. In 1947, we moved back to Nowata from Alluwe to 114 E Modoc St, and I started grade school in 1948.
My grandfather was Dr. Kieffer Davis, and my father was also born there in 1944. We just stopped to look at the building. It's a shame someone isn't willing to renovate this beautiful building.
I had no idea Dr Davis had a son 2 yrs younger than me. We moved to Tulsa in Nov 1050 when I was in the 3rd grade, so your Dad would have just started the 1st. My teachers were 1st grade – Miss Dunn, 2nd – Mrs Richardson, and 3rd – Miss Zona McCracken. Your Grandfather also treated my Mom for poison ivy when she was in HS in Alluwe, in his office over the Rainbow Theater in the late 30's.
I really loved this article! It gave me some new insights I never really thought about before.
Only a side note and cautioning: The 2 upper floors are exceptionally temperamental and not alright to explore because of water harm. We were exceptionally careful and didnt even get the opportunity to look at the third floor. If it's not too much trouble be cautious on the off chance that you attemt to enter this bldg.
Then again you can simply make the most of our pics right here!
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hats amazing…. i will make plan for next month… really wanna see these things
I really would like to speak with you about the savoy. Thank you for your time. 918-273-1699
who built the Savoy?
Construction workers
if i wanted my crew to go ghost hunting at the Savoy, whom would I contact?
I am the new owner of the property. This year has been a turning point in the situation with the Savoy Hotel. We have just completed the new roof on most of the building. The building sustained tremendous damage over the last 20 years because the roof should have been replaced long ago. It took a lot planning and some brave workers to build a whole new roof on it. Now we are working on bracing the interior and we will be renovating the building back to its condition when new. Every detail will be carefully restored. This is not a situation of tearing everything out and replacing it. All will be saved and things that are damaged beyond repair will be reproduced exactly like the original. If you have an interest in helping in any way, it would be appreciated. Please see our website http://www.savethesavoy.com. Thanks!!
Maybe an interesting story for RSU Public TV. They like telling history in Green country 918-343-7649
hello my name is Tiny West, I have lived in Delaware all my life and I have always found myself in Nowata at least once a day as long as I can remember, sadly I have never even looked in a window of the awesome ol building, but it would be my pleasure to help with a bit of the restoration of such a great building. I soon will take on a sad task of removing an old building from a property in Kansas, and reclaiming a lot of the old flooring, wood molding and fixtures and would be glad to donate the material and some time to help out.
My friend's grandparents in-law used to own this building. My friend and her husband had two apartments there, the first temporary while they prepared the other. The owners also lived in an apartment there. They were all on the second floor. We did venture up to the third floor once, even back in 2002 it was a tricky place. I believe the last time I stayed there was in 2003.
Per the Nowata Star this building has been sold …
HAS OF TODAY PART OF THE ROOF HS FALLING IN AND i WILL BE TALKING TO THE OWNER ABOUT DONATING THE PLACE TO OR MINISTRIES
Really? You want someone to just give you the building? Typical. Oh, sorry Doctor Reverand Bishop Holiness Yeazel.
To the new owner, can you give us an update on the renovations?
We should start charging churches taxes to get rid of "reverends" like you.
Wow. I'm sure glad that I found this site today. I didn't realize the Savoy was in such bad shape.
Back in the mid-to-late 1990s, I performed DJ services in the lobby of this hotel with my now-defunct DJ company, EKG Mobile Music. I played music for at least two or three wedding receptions and a few proms over the years. As time went on, I got to know the (at-the-time) owner and renovator, Chuck Price, and he seemed like an extremely nice guy. I remember how proud he was of decorating the ceilings with real gold paint trim, and what big plans he had for the hotel once he had the whole thing fixed up.
A few years back, I was planning on having a massive party to celebrate 20 years in the DJ industry, and one of the places I considered holding the event was the Savoy – mainly for sentimental reasons, because I really loved the place. I never contacted anyone to see if I could rent the Savoy for the party, and now I see that it would have been a moot point. I had no idea that the Savoy had fallen into such a sad state.
(Incidentally, I never did end up having that party.)
I can't tell you how much it means to see these pictures. As much as it hurts to know that the Savoy is doing so poorly, I am glad that I could at least find the information about it.
I'd love to help with the Save the Savoy effort, but I now have a wife and a young son, so unfortunately both my time and money are usually pretty restricted. If I were a rich man, I'd happily give thousands upon thousands to save this place. If I ever win a few million in the lottery… this will be on my donation list.
All that I can offer right now are my moral support and my best wishes for the recovery efforts… and Chuck Price, if you're reading this, I hope life is going very well for you and yours. You were a real gentleman to deal with, and I always appreciated it.
– Badger
Thank you Badger for the comment! This is the reason we exist, to help the memories live on!
I just discovered your site, I love Oklahoma and her history!! I really enjoyed the pictures of the Savoy—I have to see more of your photos when I sit still again!! Good job-take care–Tery
This has nothing to do with nothing, but I was born in the Savoy in September of 1942. I remember hearing dad say "they had some rooms they used as the hospital" but I got the impression that it was still a hotel. I don't think they did surgery or any major medical procedures.
That’s so cool
Loved seeing the pictures. I remember when the Savoy was in its hayday back in the 50s. Sure hope it can be restored to its former glory.
Thinking it was still being restored. A few years of water has taken back what was done. Sad to see.
I believe that is a form of a public address system. It likely used pre-recorded carts/tapes to make announcements during the day, probably on an automated schedule of some sort.
The tapes are very similar to the "Cart" format that was used in almost every radio station in the world back in the 70's and 80's and which is still in use in many today. Basically a slightly different version of the more common "8-Track" format invented by Lear of Lear Jet fame.
Picture # 19,what in the world is that??
It was a phone switchboard I believe. I think we found it in a storage area under the stairs.
I was thinkin it was an 8 track player. Kinda like a CD changer is now a days
Wow, I think you might be right. Its just such foreign technology to me haha
This is totally incredible! I must see it.
We should go on a roadtrip to see it! I'd love to check it out again myself!
its really sad to see this building falling apart like this. I had my senior prom in this awesome building in 1999 and have some really neat pictures of the inside first floor, it was beautiful inside! They had done such a great job restoring it..only to let it go to waste. So sad!
Just a side note & warning: The 2 upper floors are very unstable & not safe for exploring due to water damage. We were very cautious & didnt even get to check out the 3rd floor. Please be careful if you attemt to enter this bldg.
Or you can just enjoy our pics right here!
I totally agree. Neat ass place, scary ass structure. I remember seeing an old SNES in there. I liked this place.