Hotel Wooten
Abilene, Taylor County, Texas
Marker Inscription
This landmark building opened its doors on June 6, 1930, with a celebration attended by more than two thousand guests. Entrepreneur H.O. Wooten envisioned a hotel with accommodations matching those available in New York City, accomplishing the goal with the seventeen-story, 200-room Hotel Wooten. Designed by Abilene architect David S. Castle, it was the tallest building between Fort Worth and El Paso at the time of its completion. The building is of structural steel and clay tile construction, with a buff brick exterior and detailing in cast stone, marble and granite. The building remains one of the most notable examples of Art Deco style architecture in Abilene.Recorded Texas Historic Landmark-2008
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
When the Hotel Wooten opened in June 1930 to a crowd of more than two thousand, entrepreneur H.O. Wooten had delivered on his promise of New York–caliber lodging for West Texas. Rising seventeen stories, it was the tallest building between Fort Worth and El Paso, clad in buff brick with cast stone, marble, and granite detailing by Abilene architect David S. Castle. It endures as one of the city's finest examples of Art Deco design.
Why it matters
The skyscraper hotel captured the ambition of booming West Texas towns that sought to rival big-city sophistication on the eve of the Great Depression.
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Related people
- · H.O. Wooten
- · David S. Castle
Themes & tags
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