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PrintA new life for Atlas
The Atlas Life Building begins a new chapter in its 88-year history as a Courtyard by Marriott hotel.
Jeff Hartman is owner of SJS Hospitality, which is overseeing the conversion of the Atlas Life Building into a Courtyard by Marriott hotel.
A Greek god looks down from the top of the 12-story Atlas Life Building in downtown Tulsa.
Balancing a terracotta world on his back for decades, Atlas has seen the world below him on Boston Avenue transform with each passing year.
Recently, Atlas watched as the forgotten energy of the city’s center found its way back to the streets below.
Now, that energy is recharging the Atlas Life Building into a Courtyard by Marriott hotel.
“(The Atlas Life Building) is that gem of downtown that really recreates history,” says Brittany Sawyer, public relations manager for SJS Hospitality. “Back in the 1920s is when many of the downtown buildings were built. We want to generate that same kind of excitement with the Atlas coming alive again.”
SJS Hospitality, a locally owned company that has built three other hotels in Tulsa and the surrounding area, is overseeing the project. Sawyer says representatives decided to work with Marriott because the company specializes in adaptive reuse projects.
“With the momentum downtown, there is a need for more developers to reinvest in our existing buildings and revive Tulsa’s history,” Sawyer says.
Even after multiple owners and purposes, the 1920s’ details on the first and seventh floors of the Atlas Life have remained intact, and management has worked to integrate these details into the modern hotel.
Guests entering the building will see the same Atlas clock, a bronze Atlas holding a clock face on his shoulders. Above is the original elaborate ceiling and crown molding, and below are the marble floors Tulsans have walked on for more than 80 years. Even the neon Atlas Life Building sign, added in 1946, will remain a part of this historical building.
The Atlas Grill and the Tulsa Press Club, longtime tenants, will remain part of the first floor with other retail and dining.
The Tulsa Historical Society will have a gift shop and satellite location focused on the history of downtown, including stories from people who have personal ties to the building’s history.
The seventh floor will also keep much of its original décor, including doorknobs and embellishments of Atlas holding the world.
The second floor will include the check-in lobby and a café.
The remainder of the hotel will have a modern look with dark wood, bright colors and curving lines.
The hotel will officially open this month, with a grand opening celebration in August. People are encouraged to come dressed in formal 1920s attire and enjoy live big band and jazz music.
Atlas will be watching.
