Local Stone Cutter Designed Some Medieval Protection For The Camelot Hotel

The Camelot Hotel has been at the corner of Interstate-44 and Peoria since 1965. You may have stayed there, or had your senior prom there years ago, but have you ever notice the five gargoyles on the

Friday, April 27th 2007, 5:00 pm

By: News On 6

The Camelot Hotel has been at the corner of Interstate-44 and Peoria since 1965. You may have stayed there, or had your senior prom there years ago, but have you ever notice the five gargoyles on the Southeast wall of the building? The News On 6â€™s Rick Wells introduces us to the man who carved them more than forty years ago. He reports the design feature may go unnoticed if you donâ€™t look closely.

The Camelot Hotel was a wonder when it opened in 1965, itâ€™s 8 stories tall with 360 rooms and suites, and it was one of Oklahoma's finest hotels, but there is one design feature you may have never noticed.

"The architect, or whoever was the designer of this place, wanted gargoyles, and he had a sketch of what he wanted and he gave us a lot of freedom," said former stone cutter Kenneth Logden.

Kenneth Logden cut the five gargoyles out of Silverdale limestone from up in Kansas. Each one has a function.

"It's actually the drain that drains that little walkway around that tower up there," he said.

Each gargoyle is different, there was a basic design then Logden added variations.

"He's standing straight up, he's laid back, that opens kind of straight up," he said.

Each gargoyle took about a week to create and weighs about 160 pounds.

"When I was a kid they called us carvers, we followed somebody's picture and we could duplicate it in stone," said the former stone cutter.

This isn't the only place you can see Logdenâ€™s craftsmanship. In the late 50s he created the elephant carving at the Tulsa Zoo. The structure is not up right now, but the zoo will put them back together when a structure is built to hold them.

The Camelot Hotel is scheduled for demolition later this summer. Logden says if the gargoyles are destined for a landfill heâ€™d like to have at least one as a souvenir.

Watch the video: Local Craftsman's Art Watching Over The Camelot Hotel