E.W. Marland Mansion – Part 6
2014.12.23
Grand Stairway and Hall of Merriment
The central stairs flow down into the hall on the lower level. Far above with the beams, four whimsically carved friars depict “eat, drink, and be merry” (the fourth is pinching snuff); they were too dark to photograph, alas. In the hall now are replicas of the twelve statues entered in E.W. Marland’s competition to depict the Pioneer Woman; the originals were purchased from Marland by Frank Phillips and can be seen in the Woolaroc Museum. The winning entry, by Bryant Baker, was cast in a 17-foot version and stands on a step-pyramid granite base at a prominent corner in Ponca City.
What was once the indoor handball court on the lower level, off the hall of merriment, is now divided into administrative offices. On the opposite side is the main kitchen and related rooms viewable on the guided tour.
Inner and Outer Lounges
At the east end of the hall lies the inner lounge, also known as the winter room, and through there the outer lounge or summer room, which once opened to the swimming pool. These rooms are below the ballroom.
E.W. Marland introduced fox hunting and polo to Oklahoma, and the inner lounge served as a gathering place for breakfast before the hunt, served from the small hunt kitchen. A nondescript door from the hunt kitchen leads to a secret poker room, which in turn has a walk-in safe which leads to the even more secret whiskey room (it was Prohibition, after all). Another door from the poker room opens to a long tunnel to the boat house and artists studio.
The heavily-painted ceiling includes murals chronicling the history of the area, from early native tribes to the discovery of oil by Marland Oil Company.
Marland V