The Active Historian

Hey, Friend! Welcome back to another post. Today, I want to show you Oklahoma City’s first skyscraper – the Colcord Building. Let’s get started!

Who was Charles F. Colcord?

Charles Francis Colcord was born in Kentucky on August 18, 1859. After the Civil War, his family moved to a sugar plantation north of New Orleans, Louisiana. While living here he was infected with malaria and was sent to live with a family friend in Corpus Christi, Texas to recover.

As a boy, he learned to herd cattle which resulted in him and hist father driving a herd up the Chisholm Trail in 1876. They decided to stay in Kansas at the end of the drive. His father created the Jug Cattle Company and later assisted with the Comanche Pool.

On February 9, 1885, Charles F. Colcord married Harriet Scoresby. The couple eventually found themselves living in Oklahoma Territory. He participated in the 1889 Land Run staking a claim near Hennessey. He sold it and moved to Oklahoma City. He was named the first OKC Police Chief under the Provisional Government. He was named Oklahoma County’s first sheriff in 1890.

In 1893, he participated in the Land Run and staked a claim near Perry. He farmed there and served as a deputy U.S. Marshal.

Colcord eventually returned to Oklahoma City in 1898. He was instrumental in developing the city and was a pioneer civic leader. Several businesses were established with his guidance.

Which leads us to talking about the Colcord Building specifically!

Colcord Building History

In 1909, Charles F. Colcord’s new building was under construction and would be completed in 1910. Colcord had made quite a bit of money from oil speculation and was ready to build an office building.

His original building, shown below stood on Grand Avenue.

William A. Wells of Williams & Wells was hired as the architect for the new Colcord building. He was a student of Louis Henry Sullivan who was known for building skyscrapers.

The Colcord Building was to be a white building made of steel and reinforced concrete which made it relatively fire proof. The front of the building was made of ornamental terra cotta.

“The height of the main part will be twelve stories, while the tower in the rear of the arcade, will be fourteen stories high…”

“According to the plans drawn by the architects… the building is to have an arcade thirty feet wide. The main portion will have a frontage on Grand avenue, while the depth on Robinson street will be a trifle over 136 feet.”

“Southern Firm…” The Daily Oklahoman (OKC), August 18, 1909.

The E.M. Lisle Construction Company of Birmingham, Alabama was awarded the construction contract for $349,665 out of ten companies who put in bids. The total estimated price was $427,105 after elevators and other costs were added in. When it was all said and done, the structure is estimated to have cost roughly $750,000 to build.

The construction timeline was estimated to take around ten months.

Several businesses moved into the building in 1910 and ran ads in the local Oklahoma City newspapers with their new location. You can search for these businesses in the newspaper databases.

The Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce moved their offices onto the twelfth floor of this building which was a big deal at the time.

In 1976, the Colcord Building was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

The Colcord Building was purchased by the Hilton Hotel chain and it opened in 2006. Mrs. Colcord’s signature sits atop the building today in red neon lights.

Visit

15 N Robinson Avenue

Oklahoma City, OK 73102

TRAVEL TIP: Charles Colcord and the Colcord Building are actually a stop along the ’89er Trail in OKC!

Sources

Primary Sources

“Colcord Office Building, Oklahoma City, Okla.” DUN.2017.07.01.64. Metropolitan Library System.

Newspapers

“Typical Street Scene In Oklahoma City In The Days Of The Pioneers.” The Daily Oklahoman (Oklahoma City, OK), April 22, 1909.

“Colcord Building Will Be Twelve Stories.” Oklahoma City Daily Pointer (Oklahoma City, OK), April 23, 1909.

“Fourteen Story Colcord Building Is Owner’s Plan.” The Daily Oklahoman (Oklahoma City, OK), July 27, 1909.

“Southern Firm Awarded Big Job.” The Daily Oklahoman (Oklahoma City, OK), August 18, 1909.

“Two More Skyscrapers Going Up.” The Daily Oklahoman (Oklahoma City, OK), August 29, 1909.

“Biggest Office Building In State Under Way.” The Daily Oklahoman (Oklahoma City, OK), January 4, 1910.

“C. Of C. To Have A Roof Garden.” The Daily Oklahoman (Oklahoma City, OK), February 25, 1910.

“Wylie & Company.” The Daily Oklahoman (Oklahoma City, OK), February 27, 1910.

“Building and Construction Development.” The Daily Oklahoman (Oklahoma City, OK), April 22, 1910.

“Picture Show From Colcord Building.” The Daily Oklahoman (Oklahoma City, OK), May 24, 1910.

“Suit Asks Sale of Colcord Building.” The Daily Oklahoman (Oklahoma City, OK), June 4, 1910.

“Houston To Open Colcord Building.” The Daily Oklahoman (Oklahoma City, OK), July 25, 1910.

“Husband Is Killed; Wife Asks $25,000.” The Daily Oklahoman (Oklahoma City, OK), August 16, 1910.

“Chas. M. Dunning Const. Co.” The Daily Oklahoman (Oklahoma City, OK), September 21, 1919.

Secondary Sources

“Colcord Building.” National Register of Historic Places Inventory – Nomination Form.

“Historic Hilton Hotel in Downtown OKC.” colcordhotel.com.

Linda D. Wilson. “Colcord, Charles Francis,. The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture. Oklahoma Historical Society.