Bartlesville Area History Museum

The Bartlesville Area History Museum was founded as the History Room at the Bartlesville Public Library in 1964 and moved to this space in 2000. Before housing city offices and the museum, this building was home to the Hotel Maire, which opened in 1913, and later the Burlingame Hotel. The Maire and Burlingame were considered luxury lodging options in Bartlesville and were known to serve the city’s elite during the early decades of the twentieth century. In the late 1960s, as the hotel closed, the building became the Phillips Annex, providing around 50,000 square feet of workspace to Bartlesville’s most successful company.

A “big city” hotel was this building’s first occupant over 100 years ago. The establishment was first announced as the Mobell Hotel on January 28, 1910, then called the Hotel Edwards on May 16, 1910, before gaining its better-known name, Hotel Maire, on May 24, 1910. Reflecting the need for lodging during Bartlesville’s oil boom, the hotel joined ten other hotels and six rooming houses operating in the city upon its completion in 1913. However, Hotel Maire’s luxurious accommodation stood above all else. Built for a price tag of $150,000, the hotel featured a barbershop, tailor, and a cigar stand in the marble-clad lobby. Custom-made monogrammed dishes and silver tableware was used in the Maire’s dining room, and the furniture ordered for the new space totaled $20,000. On the outside, the hotel featured four ornamental electric light posts with large globes lighting up the front of the building.

Reports of the hotel’s extravagant offerings meant that the grand opening banquet was a cannot-miss event. The town’s social and political elite enjoyed the ceremony, with the going rate to attend the “distinctive social function” at five dollars a plate with limited seating. Bartlesville’s upper class would continue to use the hotel as meeting point, exemplified by Frank Phillips often hosting guests from New York at the Maire.

Owner Frank L. Maire entered a new business partnership with Clarence Burlingame in December 1928 and the hotel was renamed to its longest lasting label, the Burlingame Hotel. Fifteen years after its luxury opening, the hotel underwent a $150,000 remodel, which included a cafeteria, expanded dining area, coffee shop, and update to the first-floor lobby. In 1937, the hotel’s opulence was truly realized, as air conditioning was installed throughout the building and kitchenettes were built in each room. During this same year, Burlingame added to the site’s original “L” shaped footprint, attaching a south wing to complete a “U” shape.

In 1968, after years of losses and ownership changes, the hotel closed its doors. However, the five-story building’s ample space and fire-proof construction made it an appealing location for Bartlesville’s biggest employer. Phillips Petroleum bought the building in 1969. The successful oil company needed more room for operations and the former hotel was the perfect fit, as it was just down the street from the organization’s headquarters. The new Phillips Annex was revitalized and again added onto, as the center of the “U” was filled in, creating 10,000 square feet of office space on each floor.

During this same period, a renewed interest in Bartlesville’s history resulted in the creation of a historical commission, which was appointed by the city and tasked with furnishing the History Room at the Bartlesville Public Library. In 1984, the Library History Room became the Area History Museum and Archives, by this time amassing a wide variety of artifacts, documents, and photographs, highlighted by the images of Frank Griggs, a local pioneering photographer.

The citizens of Bartlesville voted to move a portion of the city offices to the previous hotel and Phillips Annex in 1998, which was refurbished before opening in 2000. The City Center featured municipal offices on the first through fourth floors and the newly revamped Bartlesville Area History Museum found a home on the building’s top story. Today, the museum tells the history of Bartlesville, dating back to the Osage, Cherokee, and Delaware tribes who initially inhabited this land. The museum features interactive displays, photography, and captivating artifacts that tell the story of how Bartlesville grew from an oil boomtown to a contemporary city.

About, Bartlesville Area History Museum. Accessed May 2nd 2022. http://www.bartlesvillehistory.com/pages/about_the_museum.

"Burlingame Open House Announced." Examiner-Enterprise (Bartlesville) July 5th 1961. 9.

Neece, Debbie. "History Room Timeline." Bartlesville Area History Museum.

Neece, Debbie. Now You Know: The Mayor of Johnstone Ave. b Monthly. February 1st 2020. 56 - 58.