Fred Jones' legacy lives on as the Fordson Hotel opens in OKC

It's impossible to visit Film Row without seeing the long-standing mark of the Jones family on Oklahoma City.

The Jones Assembly is perhaps the most obvious beacon, named for family patriarch Fred Jones and the manufacturing company he once ran in the complex, still owned by his grandsons and their children, through the family firm Hall Capital.

Directly north, just steps up Fred Jones Avenue at the intersection with Main Street, you'll find Hall Capital's latest tribute to its patriarch and the city — the Fordson Hotel.

"Preservation of the building, we shouldn't take that for granted. We are not exactly surrounded here by other 100-year-old buildings. I mean, that's the way of the world and that's certainly been the way of Oklahoma City that we often have struggled to preserve some of our original historic buildings, but this one stayed," said Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt.

"It's nice to have a beautiful old building, but when it was a parts supply warehouse, it probably wasn't quite as impactful on the community as it has been for the last decade. So that conversion into this hotel, and now the Fordson, is the second great gift that they have given us."

21c to Fordson: Recent chapters in the Jones-Hall family legacy

Previously the 21c Museum Hotel, the property, located in a 1916 Ford Model T assembly plant, underwent renovations after an announcement last August that it would separate from its previous chain and take on a new name and flag.

Originally converted in 2016, the Oklahoma City hotel was the fifth location for 21c Museum Hotels, a then Louisville-based boutique operation that when sold became part of a multi-national foreign company with 53,000 properties.

Shortly after, Hall Capital announced the decision to part ways with the chain and move in a different direction.

"The background of this building is tremendous for us. It will always be a part of our family. Fred Jones bought it in 1968 and told me, 'Never sell this building, it's my history,'" said Fred Jones Hall at the Fordson Hotel's grand opening event.

"The future is now. This beautiful building is now. It's got a great history [...] and so it's fun to develop all around here with what my grandfather started."

What's new at the Fordson Hotel?

The new Fordson Hotel is being managed by Avion Hospitality and is part of Hyatt's Unbound Collection, meaning the property is available on Hyatt reservation websites and reward members earn points for booking stays.

In addition to a name and flag change, the hotel has undergone upgrades to guest rooms — offering 135 rooms including single kings, double queens and suites, plus a penthouse.

The art throughout the hotel extends a deeper connection to the Jones family, with pieces on loan from the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art at the University of Oklahoma, and historical photos adorning the walls.

What familiar touches can Fordson guests expect?

While the interiors of the hotel, booking systems and art may look completely different to guests, some key aspects have remained the same during the transition.

Because ownership has not changed, the restaurants at Fordson Hotel are the same as those enjoyed previously.

The main restaurant on-site is still Mary Eddy's, named for Fred Jones' beloved wife, the matriarch who inspired people throughout the city, even after her death in 2000.

"As far as the concepts, the people inside of it, what we are about, what we believe in, none of that has changed," said Ryan Richardson, director of food and beverage for the hotel. "The only thing that has changed is the name of the hotel, the flag, and then we are now able to use Hyatt's loyalty program, as well. So, whereas before we were kind of tucked away in this hidden hotel and no one had ever heard about it, now we have more of kind of like an outreach, as well."

Pool Bar and Bodega, the most recent food concepts (opened July 2022) also remain in place. The restaurant staff have been working to refine menus, said John Carter, executive sous chef of public dining.

"Really just going back to that golden age of dining and trying to give you the simple things that you maybe don't want to prepare at home because they take some time," Carter said.

The hotel will open a Lobby Lounge in the near future, capitalizing on the success of Mary Eddy's bar program.

"Our lobby is newly renovated. The Lobby Lounge is going to be sort of an extension of Mary Eddy's," Richardson said. "So the cuisine that you get in there is going to be somewhat similar out here, but it's going to be small shared plates, hors d'oeuvres, cocktails, wine by the glass."

Mary Eddy's also will be continuing to offer special event brunches and prix fixe meals for holidays, something they hope appeals not only to guests but locals, as well.

"We're a hotel, we're open 365 and so (we want) to try to get people who are staying in the hotel a nice little touch of the holidays, as well as then welcoming people from outside the city and people inside the city to come in if they don't necessarily want to prep a three-course dinner for themselves," Carter said.

For more about the Fordson or to book reservations, go to https://www.hyatt.com/en-US/hotel/oklahoma/fordson-hotel/okcub.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Fordson Hotel marks continued impact of Jones, Hall families on OKC