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El Reno Hotel, Oklahoma

Historic hotel
In El Reno, Oklahoma
On Route 66
National Register of Historic Places

Built in 1892, the El Reno Hotel is the oldest commercial building still standing in El Reno, OK. This two-story Folk Victorian hotel, framed in wood, took in guests for more than 70 years before closing in 1975. Saved and moved near the Rock Island Depot in the 1980s, it now sits steps from Route 66 and two restored gas stations.

What is El Reno Hotel?

The hotel is a modest two-story frame building with the simple trim of Folk Victorian design. It is the kind of small-town lodging that served railroad and wagon-road travelers long before the highway era.

History of El Reno Hotel

John Kossuth built the hotel in 1892 in El Reno's business district. In 1901 H. M. Foster and his wife bought it, and it kept taking guests until 1975. After it closed, the building began to decay.

The building was listed on the National Register in 1979. In 1984 the Canadian County Historic Society received the building as a gift and moved it from its first site to its current spot near the Rock Island Depot.

Visiting El Reno Hotel: tips

The hotel is right by the old road, so plan on a short stop and a walk around the outside. Avant's Cities Service Station and the Jackson Conoco Service Station are right nearby, and the William I. and Magdalen M. Goff House is about 0.1 miles away. Together they make an easy half-hour stroll through El Reno's past.