The Cecil Hotel, originally built by William Banks Hanner, opened its doors on December 20, 1924. Back then, it was a grand building that cost almost $14 million in today’s money. But over time, its reputation shifted. Now, it’s known for the violence and unsettling events that occurred within its walls. The Netflix documentary, ‘The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel’ reminds us just how dark its past truly is. Here are ten horrible facts about the Cecil Hotel.
10 The First Suicide
Long-term residents started calling the Cecil Hotel “the suicide” in 1962, and for good reason. The first death was in 1926, when William Mckay died of natural causes. Just a year later, the hotel saw its first suicide. Percy Ormand Cook shot himself in the head at 52 years old. This marked the beginning of a tragic series of suicide attempts and completed suicides at the hotel.
People have ended their lives at the hotel through overdoses, slitting their throats, poison, and jumping from the roof or windows, or by gunshot. Some incidents, like Grace Magro’s, raise questions. She either fell or jumped from a ninth-story window, and her boyfriend claimed he was asleep. As she fell, she got caught in telephone wires, tearing them from the poles.
Another grim incident involved Pauline Otton, who jumped from a ninth-floor window, killing herself and an elderly man on the street below. It’s believed that twelve of the sixteen acknowledged deaths at the Cecil Hotel were suicides.
9 Skid Row Led to the Downfall of the Cecil Hotel
The hotel was most successful in the 1940s. The marble lobby and sophisticated style attracted many high-end guests. But the city of Los Angeles made a controversial move. Instead of supporting the homeless, they directed them to what is now known as Skid Row. As time passed, Skid Row became a place where people released from jail and mental facilities were dumped. The nearby Cecil Hotel turned into a decaying symbol of old-world glamour.
The hotel became an extension of the surrounding area, offering long-term housing to people in Skid Row. These rooms were much cheaper than regular hotel rooms and rented out for weeks, months, or even years. This new crowd of addicts, prostitutes, and homeless individuals changed the hotel’s appeal and safety.
Renovating the entire building was too expensive. So, in 2011, part of the hotel was renovated and rebranded as “Stay on Main.”
8 There was a Ghost Sighting at the Hotel
Given all the horror and death associated with the hotel, many believe there is a dark energy within The Cecil. In 2014, less than a year after Lisa Lam’s death, an 11-year-old boy thought he captured a ghost on camera. The image appears to show a person hanging outside a fourth-floor window. Could this be evidence that actual spirits haunt the building?
A two-hour special streamed in January 2021, “Ghost Adventure: Cecil Hotel,” was the first paranormal investigation in the hotel. Zak Bagans led the investigation with his team and two psychic mediums, retracing Elisa Lam’s steps. It’s available exclusively on discovery+.
7 A Woman was Found Dead in the Water Tower
Elisa Lam, a Canadian student, checked into the “Stay on Main” section of the Cecil Hotel on January 26, 2013. Initially, she was in a shared room, but after other guests reported her strange behavior, she was moved to her own room. Lam was reported missing after her family didn’t hear from her on January 30.
Three weeks later, guests complained about the water, which was brown and had a terrible smell and taste. A hotel worker then found Lam’s body floating in the water tank. Footage of Lam in an elevator led many to believe she was running from someone, suggesting she was murdered. However, her death was ruled an accident. “The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel” covers this story in detail, exploring other factors that might have led to her death.
6 The Hotel Inspired American Horror Story Season
The fifth season of American Horror Story, “Hotel,” was inspired by The Cecil’s dark past. The series is set in a mysterious LA hotel called Hotel Cortez, focusing on its disturbing deaths and paranormal events. The show even includes the serial killer Richard Ramirez, a known Cecil resident, in the episode “Devil’s Night.”
The show’s creator, Ryan Murphy, mentioned that he was fascinated by the Cecil Hotel and the mystery surrounding Elisa Lam. The CCTV footage showing a panicked Lam in an elevator, with no one else visible, is especially haunting, making some believe the hotel is truly haunted.
5 The Black Dahlia May Have Stayed There
In 1947, when the hotel was thriving, it was rumored that Elizabeth Short, known as the Black Dahlia, had been drinking at the Cecil bar. Short, a young actress, was found murdered in the Leimert Park neighborhood, near the Cecil. The case gained a lot of attention because of the crime’s brutality. Her body was mutilated and cut in half at the waist. Despite the investigation, no one was arrested, and the case remains unsolved.
Though unconfirmed, her link to the hotel remains intriguing. The Black Dahlia’s life and death have been the subject of many books and films and continue to be one of the most famous unsolved murders in American history.
4 The Hotel Will not be Reopening
A hotel with a dark past is enough to scare away potential guests. However, “true-crime tourism” is a real thing. Despite all the negative attention, the hotel has received a lot of buzz, which would be good for business if it hadn’t been closed since 2017.
According to a Forbes article, the hotel will not reopen, despite reports that it’s being renovated. There were plans to reopen in late 2019, with Simon Baron planning a restaurant, lobby bar, and rooftop bar. The pandemic has halted any progress, so it’s unclear if these renovations will actually happen.
3 Serial Killers Stayed at the Hotel
Two serial killers are confirmed to have stayed at the Cecil Hotel. The most famous is Richard Ramirez, who lived in a room on the top floor in the mid-1980s. At the time, the hotel was full of addicts and shady characters, so Ramirez didn’t raise any suspicion. He would return to the Cecil after committing murder, throw his bloody clothes in the dumpster, and walk naked through the corridors without anyone questioning him.
In 1991, Austrian serial killer Johan “Jack” Unterweger also stayed at the hotel. Under the guise of journalistic work, Unterweger murdered three sex workers. He was in LA to research crime and prostitution and even rode along with cops. No one suspected that he was a serial killer who strangled at least ten women. The hotel’s location and the many prostitutes nearby made it an ideal hunting ground.
2 Pigeon Goldie was Murdered in Her Room
One of the most horrific murders at the Cecil Hotel occurred on June 4, 1964. Goldie Osgood, a 65-year-old telephone operator, was found dead in her room. A hotel worker discovered her body in the ransacked room. Goldie had been raped, stabbed, and beaten.
Osgood, known as Pigeon Goldie for feeding birds in Pershing Square, was well-known in the community. Her LA Dodgers cap, always full of birdseed, was found next to her body. Newspapers reported that friends had seen her just minutes before her body was discovered.
Jacques B. Ehlinger was arrested after being seen walking through Pershing Square in blood-stained clothing but was never charged with Osgood’s murder. The case remains unsolved.
1 Down Will Come Baby…
In 1944, 19-year-old Dorothy Jean Purcell, staying at the hotel with her boyfriend, woke up with stomach cramps. Unaware she was pregnant, Purcell gave birth on the bathroom floor. Believing the baby was stillborn, she threw the newborn out the window, not wanting to wake her 38-year-old boyfriend.
Police found the baby’s body on a nearby roof. An autopsy revealed the baby had air in his lungs, meaning he was alive when she threw him out the window. Purcell was charged with murder but found not guilty due to insanity.
Three psychiatrists testified that she was mentally confused. Purcell never gave a clear reason for her actions, only stating that she thought the baby was stillborn.
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