View Full Version : Tulsa memories... Camelot Inn



Laramie
02-27-2023, 01:00 PM
https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/tulsaworld.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/4/a3/4a3c22e6-b82e-58e9-862a-a7cb55cffa49/5d1b91708b0d2.image.jpg?resize=604%2C430

Lots of memories of the infamous 330-room Camelot Inn at Interstate 44 and Peoria Avenue. My older brother lived in Tulsa, he
worked at Hillcrest Medical Center before moving back to OKC - OU Medial Center, we exchange memories about conferences we had at the Camelot Inn.

Wished they could have saved the Camelot and many other OKC hotels like the 600 room downtown Biltmore and the old Tivoli Inn.

smitteebc
02-28-2023, 08:47 PM
I still remember driving by an empty Camelot Inn as a kid and thinking it must’ve been the coolest hotel. It was a sad day when it was torn down, but necessary. Just curious why is it considered “infamous”, I’ve never heard any bad stories about the place.

Mott
02-28-2023, 09:26 PM
We used to stay there when the Kerr McGee swim team would travel to Tulsa. Late 1960’s.

Laramie
02-28-2023, 10:51 PM
I still remember driving by an empty Camelot Inn as a kid and thinking it must’ve been the coolest hotel. It was a sad day when it was torn down, but necessary. Just curious why is it considered “infamous”, I’ve never heard any bad stories about the place.


Correction: Famous - My badd, working too many windows.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RR0396dgQVE

It was such a lovely place. . .

scottk
03-01-2023, 06:51 PM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBzQTD8iigo

Swake
03-01-2023, 10:21 PM
I remember the Camelot well. Lots of memories.

When I was a kid we didn't live in Tulsa and we would stay there when we visited. I loved the shield shaped pool and the drawbridge. The knights standing watch in the dining room were cool.

I met Superman from Super Friends at the Camelot at one of my dad's high school reunions, The voice actor in the show, Danny Dark, was friends with my dad at Tulsa Central. When I was younger I would get birthday calls from him as Superman which was always cool.

In high school, my junior prom was at the Excelsior Hotel (now the downtown Double Tree), those rooms were expensive so we got hotel rooms at the Camelot for the after party.

Later it became very sad, purchased by the The Global Country of World Peace, which was The Maharishi, who was the guru to the Beatles. He was going to open "teaching school" in the hotel, but instead let it fall into complete disrepair. So bad it could not be restored and had to be torn down.

The Camelot was built by Ainslie Perrault in the 1960s. His late grandson was a great friend of mine that I still miss.

formerly405Tulsan
03-02-2023, 08:58 AM
This was way before my time, but I have always been curious about the quality of this building. Was it built to last like say the ambassador, or was it something that would have fallen into disarray overtime no matter what.

Boop
03-03-2023, 10:32 AM
https://tulsaworld.com/news/local/history/throwback-tulsa-the-interesting-life-and-death-of-the-camelot-inn-demolition-began-15-years/collection_aed3d958-fecd-11eb-80b1-5bf6d0143be3.html#11

Here is a great article with great pictures, it was a very cool hotel, it is a shame it is torn down

mugofbeer
03-03-2023, 10:30 PM
I haven't been in Tulsa in years. Was it just torn down or has it been a while?

Swake
03-03-2023, 10:46 PM
I haven't been in Tulsa in years. Was it just torn down or has it been a while?

Maybe 15 years ago. And that was after the hotel being closed for at least 10 years.

The site today is a storage facility and what is kind of Quik Trip's flagship store, as it's a replacement location of the first store which was located two blocks south.