Page 68 - midland

West Texans are pragmatic; they understand you can’t continue to lose money. But they’re also sentimental, which explains why 15,000 Midlanders watched sadly as the old Scharbauer Hotel was imploded in l973. Thirty-eight years later, they still recall “the hotel that Clarence Scharbauer built” and how proud they were of the beautiful lobby and Crystal Ballroom. Former First Lady Laura Bush even mentioned the hotel in her autobiography. Nelda Lee, an art dealer from Odessa, recalls meeting clients like George Abell in the hotel lobby so that they could choose artwork for their offces and homes. “I remember the lobby being full of well-dressed ranchers and oilmen sitting around sipping drinks and making deals as they had their boots polished,” she says, smiling. LIFE magazine had heard these stories, too. In l948, it photographed the famous lobby and described it as “an informal stock exchange.”

Clarence Scharbauer, Sr. and his wife, Ruth, spent $500,000 in l928 to construct a hotel that would serve as headquarters for the ranchers and oilmen that were putting Midland on the map. The few remaining photos show marble foors, richly paneled walls, and beautiful chandeliers. Jean Stickney treasures a newspaper clipping showing her father-in-law, A. B. “Slim” Stickney, and his friends sitting in the hotel lobby. “I keep that clipping tucked in my Bible,” she explains. Penny Willhite recalls hosting an anniversary party for friends in the beautiful ballroom “because that was where they wanted to celebrate.” That same ballroom became the site for wedding receptions, banquets, and even high school dances. The hotel also contained businesses that the locals often frequented. A coffee shop, beauty shop, barber shop and a full-service garage were patronized by locals and guests alike. Evelyn Nelson remembers the barber shop with its old-fashioned striped barber pole. “I took my four-year-old to get his hair cut there,” she explains. Inside the hotel’s