Antlers Hotel Fire of 1929, Site of:

A three-story brick hotel building was constructed at this site in 1920 by the firm of Bachman and Goodwin. Originally known as the Argonne, the name was later changed to the Antlers Hotel when the structure was purchased by H. G. Karrenbrock. In the early morning hours of December 12, 1929, a fire broke out in the building. Firemen of the central station were the first to arrive on the scene and were promptly aided by additional units responding to a second alarm. Flames were visible throughout the city and quickly attracted a large crowd. Thirty minutes after the first alarm, the west wall of the structure began to crumble. Although some of the fire fighters escaped, assistant city fire chief Smiley Turner and fireman Guno Anderson were killed by the collapsing wall. One occupant of the hotel, Kenneth (Toby) Brice of Bowie, also died in the fire that morning. As a result of the destructive Antlers Hotel fire, significant changes were made in the Wichita Falls Fire Department. Equipment was updated, new training programs were established, and city officials began strengthening ordinances in an effort to actively enforce the municipal fire code. (1981)

Antlers Hotel Fire of 1929, Site of: is a historical marker in Wichita Falls, Wichita County, dedicated in 1981. It is one of 75 historical markers documented in Wichita County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 94 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 33.9121, -98.4895 near Wichita Falls. The nearest cataloged historic site is Wichita Falls Opera House (historical marker), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include O'Donohoe, John F., Hodges-Hardy House, and Wichita Falls Route Building.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5485004942. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.