hotel like no other. That is what you will find when you stay at Hotel Indigo. There are no two alike in the world. Each one is created around a neighborhood story unique to the area in which the hotel is built.
Hotel Indigo Tulsa Downtown - From Black Gold to Bold Grit salutes the roughnecks, the oilfield workers of the 1920s.
Even before the railroad rolled in, Tulsa was a bustling trading post called Tulsey Town. Hardware stores were among the neighborhood's first commercial offerings followed by hotels and eateries, including The Pig's Ear Cafe -a 3 story inn across from the train depot. It is said to have served the best fried chicken to cowboys and businessmen alike. (Perhaps similar to fried chicken dinner we serve each Thursday night for just $10 per person?)
The oil craze really put Tulsa on the map, and seemingly overnight the city was rich, wild, and barreling (get it?) full-speed ahead. It wasn't long before the "Oil Capital of the World" was home to more than a thousand companies producing the majority of the nation's petrol. Eager newcomers flooded the town as black gold burst onto the scene and instant millionaires were made. Business followed the money, and as if the city weren't moving fast enough, automobiles zoomed in just as gas stations took their places on corners throughout the bold, young community.
The White Star Service Station, in particular, whose blue dome was inspired by a Turkish museum, continues to be an iconic landmark all its own, symbolic of the area's confident, colorful, and down-to-earth vibe.
The Blue Dome District, as it would become known, was in full swing as oil interests shaped the streets and transformed the progressive pioneer town into a city of skyscrapers. Around the same time, the Father of Route 66 (hmmmm, Roof Sixty Six?), Cyrus Avery (the namesake of our function room on the 6th floor), began his campaign to create a "mother road" linking Chicago to Los Angeles. Soon enough, the gold age of road-tripping ran right through the heart of the neighborhood. Naturally, more service stations popped up alongside motels and boarding houses to keep up with the steady stream of travelers and tourists.
Other enterprises were cashing in, too, like the unassuming Clara Palmer, who catered to the wild side of the city with her infamous May Rooms (ever notice all the different wallpaper on the walls on the second floor at El Guapo?) Back then, some even say a local coffee house was brewing up something stronger to keep the good times flowing.
These days, the Blue Dome District has emerged as a destination all its own -full of discover, yet independent and inspired by those drawn to this quirky neighborhood. As it has for years, the blue dome stands as a beacon of the next wave of cultural pioneers - provocative restaurateurs, progressive artists, and innovative entrepreneurs. Today, the most prized resource is always up for grabs -a renewal of that old Tulsa Spirit, right there on the surface for those willing to roll up their sleeves and run wild with it.
The Blue Dome District has moved at an ambitious pace, gushing from the start with gritty pioneers, sudden prosperity, and heaps of American, rustic resolve. Today, among the hidden railroad tracks that first defined the town, a modern rush of energy can be felt throughout the neighborhood, where a revival of the original Tulsa Spirit shines through like never before.
