History Maintained As Downtown Tulsa Building Renovated Into New Hotel

A historic building at 4th and Boston in downtown Tulsa got a big facelift. What was once a bank in the 60s is now a new hotel.

Stepping into the Hyatt Place downtown, natural light fills the lobby through the building's original windows, while new lights shine from the ceiling. 

Sunny Patel Chatterjee is a co-owner of the hotel and said she and her design team were in charge of keeping a “flow” throughout the hotel, while maintaining the history.  

"I think Gatsby, Art Deco with a new modern touch,” she said.  

The building at 4th and Boston used to be Sooner Federal Bank in the 60s but Patel Chatterjee said it has sat empty for about a decade. Now, parts of the building stand the test of time. 

"We had a historian come in and restore even just like the little things we were allowed to restore,” Patel Chatterjee said.  

Up on the 14th floor, the original copper clad fireplace and chandelier are still in place. Patel Chatterjee said the rooms on this floor could be used for private board meetings, or special events, like a wedding.  

Windows are 25 feet high on the 14th floor, showing off Tulsa's iconic Philtower building.  

"It just gives a great feeling of pride to be a Tulsan,” Patel Chatterjee said.  

Brass and copper panels handmade in the 60s are found throughout the hotel, sharing Tulsa's history, visually.  

There are 103 rooms in the hotel and Patel Chatterjee said each one has a view, whether its Tulsa's art deco, or the Arkansas River.  

"So, you never have a bad view,” she said. “You never have a parking lot or concrete wall to look at. It's just amazing.” 

The plan was to open up early in 2020, but it opened mid-December instead. 

Even through the pandemic, Patel Chatterjee said construction kept going, including adding air conditioning to the building.  

"2021 is going to bring hope. I think this place is just going to be rocking,” she said.