1929 To The Present, Great Things Endure
In 1929, General Patrick Hurley introduced the Ambassador Hotel to Tulsa. One of the first "extended stay" hotels, the Ambassador was created to provide upscale temporary housing for oil barons and their families while their own mansions were built. The ten-story Mediterranean style building is one of Tulsa’s most beautiful structures, graced with Italian terra cotta relief panels and limestone cornices. Hurley never got to bask in the elegance of his hotel. About the same time as the opening, Hurley was appointed to the Secretary of War post, the first Oklahoman cabinet member.
Tulsa’s oil business continued to grow. In 1960, Kewanee Oil and its subsidiary Delbert Development Company purchased the Hotel Ambassador, bringing its collection of commercial properties on this 1/2 mile area to five—earning it the reputation of "Little Rockefeller Center". A $1.25 million overhaul was undertaken to create an apartment hotel, primarily targeting commercial occupancy.
After the oil business decline, the hotel became senior retirement housing, and closed entirely in 1987. In 1997, developer Paul Coury and a group of civic-minded citizens purchased the property to begin the $5.5 million renovation to restore this historic structure to its early day elegance.
Now more than seventy years after the Ambassador Hotel first opened its doors, “La Dolce Vita” returns.
Today, the Hotel Ambassador is a historic landmark hotel that continues to provide business and leisure travelers with a truly superb option for luxury accommodations in Tulsa.
About General Patrick Hurley
General Hurley had many noted accomplishments. A veteran of two wars, a self-made millionaire, lawyer, broker, oil operator and businessman, Hurley went on to serve under Franklin D. Roosevelt’s administration as US Ambassador to China. Hurley was the first foreigner to visit the eastern front with Stalin, was appointed the US Minister to New Zealand and served as Ambassador to Iran.
