Historical haunt: George Washington Hotel boasts storied past
Mike Jones
The George Washington Hotel in Washington has a storied past.
George Washington Hotel in Washington
Mike Jones
The George Washington Hotel in Washington has 14 stories, four of which are below ground.
Katherine Mansfield
By day, the Washington Room is an airy space used for weddings and other events. By night, some visitors and staffers claim the sounds of a piano played by a ghostly guest float down through the balconies into the gilded room.
The Bradford Lounge has welcomed prominent guests and served as the set for several films and television shows, like Netflix无毛视频檚 无毛视频淢indhunter.无毛视频� It无毛视频檚 also reportedly a favorite haunt of three ghosts, who some George Washington Hotel visitors and staffers have seen seated at the bar during the lounge无毛视频檚 off-hours.
Katherine Mansfield
The George Washington Hotel无毛视频檚 original service elevator is still in use.
Katherine Mansfield
During Prohibition, Al Capone is said to have frequented a speakeasy nestled underneath the George Washington Hotel. Its door is now padlocked, but rumor has it the ghosts of men Capone shot in cold blood still lurk in the shadows.
A grand piano adds charm to the George Washington Hotel无毛视频檚 second floor, which overlooks the elegant entrance and majestic Washington Room. But at night, visitors and staffers say, the piano comes to life, amplifying music played by ghostly hands.
Katherine Mansfield
A discarded door warns wanderers to keep out of the George Washington Hotel无毛视频檚 allegedly haunted basement. The ghostly figure in the image is startling, but, alas, only the photographer无毛视频檚 shadow.
Katherine Mansfield
According to some historical accounts, drivers delivered booze through this loading dock door beneath the George Washington Hotel to a speakeasy.
The George Washington Hotel无毛视频檚 ballroom being readied for an upcoming wedding is said to have hosted ghosts.
Katherine Mansfield
While the fourth floor has been padlocked, one can imagine it无毛视频檚 a dim, spooky place to be. The second-floor hallway, pictured here, leads to President John F. Kennedy无毛视频檚 room, center, where he stayed during a campaign stop in Washington.
Katherine Mansfield
In the George Washington Hotel无毛视频檚 heyday, workers tossed coal into boilers like this one, and some say those who died on the job haunt the basement boiler room. Some staffers refuse to venture into this area.
Katherine Mansfield
These three chairs are sometimes occupied by ghosts dressed in 1920s attire, some visitors and George Washington Hotel staffers say. The sightings have been reported at all hours, including times when the hotel lounge is closed.
Photos: Katherine Mansfield
A secret doorway leads into the George Washington Hotel无毛视频檚 Oval Room, which once served as a movie theater and welcomed prominent speakers like President John F. Kennedy. Secret passageways are sprinkled throughout the hotel, adding to the building无毛视频檚 lore.
Katherine Mansfield
An inconspicuous doorway nestled in the George Washington Hotel无毛视频檚 lounge leads into a splendid room decorated in the artworks of Malcolm Purcell.
Katherine Mansfield
Some George Washington Hotel staffers refuse to venture into the basement boiler room. The boiler room was once staffed with men who hauled coal into boxes like the one in the bottom left of this image, to heat the hotel.
The George Washington Hotel has quite the storied past.
The guest list of those who are reported to have stayed at the venerable hotel reads like a who无毛视频檚 who of historical figures, including John F. Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe, Mickey Mantle, Lou Gehrig, Bob Hope, and Al Capone. Six former U.S. presidents also bedded down there.
无毛视频淭here无毛视频檚 a ton of history here,无毛视频� said Robert Plutto, general manager. 无毛视频淭here无毛视频檚 probably as much history here as any hotel in Western Pennsylvania.无毛视频�
However, if you ask some, the hotel at 60 S. Main St. in Washington无毛视频檚 downtown has a lesser-known guest list of ghostly visitors who only come out at night or in the wee hours of the morning.
Perhaps a building filled with hidden and trap doors have helped fuel rumors of apparitions.
Or it might be the stories of guests and employees witnessing things that cannot be explained, such as doors that were locked only to become unlocked.
Plutto said he无毛视频檚 never personally witnessed any beings from beyond frequenting the place, but he has heard many a tale from those who claim they have.
无毛视频淢y staff has experienced these things,无毛视频� Plutto said. 无毛视频淎t night, the piano on the second floor will play. My night auditors and security people say they hear the piano playing at night.无毛视频�
Others speak of shadowy figures enjoying drinks at the hotel bar when the bar is closed.
无毛视频淭hey无毛视频檝e seen people sitting at the bar, ladies in 1920s dresses, bar stools will be pulled out, gentlemen have their fedora hats on,无毛视频� Plutto said. 无毛视频淵ou无毛视频檒l hear people walking throughout the hotel, children running down the hallways at night.无毛视频�
Some claim to have seen George Washington无毛视频檚 eyes in a photo in the lobby follow them. Plutto said a picture of the original lobby even has some quirks.
无毛视频淚f you move it certain ways, you can see individuals you typically wouldn无毛视频檛 see ever,无毛视频� he said.
Plutto said the spirits supposedly appear mostly between 1 and 4 a.m., although the barflies may show at any time.
A fire on the hotel无毛视频檚 fourth floor years ago when a horror movie was being filmed also sparked ghostly anecdotes. The story goes that any time crews attempt to fix the floor, they are scared off.
无毛视频淪ome people hear voices on the fourth floor,无毛视频� Plutto said. 无毛视频淭he owner of the hotel has told me he无毛视频檚 seen grown men run off the fourth floor. We don无毛视频檛 use it. It无毛视频檚 boarded up. It无毛视频檚 padlocked.无毛视频�
Plutto said some staff members have a fear of going to the basement, calling it the 无毛视频渟pookiest place in the hotel.无毛视频�
Paranormal experts have visited to see, if indeed, there is other-worldly goings-on at the hotel.
无毛视频淭hey have definitely picked up on things,无毛视频� Plutto said. 无毛视频淭here无毛视频檚 certain guests who believe in the paranormal and they say they无毛视频檝e picked up on things; they feel like someone walked past them in the hallway. They definitely feel things at night. It无毛视频檚 almost like the feel of the hotel changes at night.无毛视频�
The George Washington will celebrate its 100th anniversary on Feb. 23, 2023, which also happens to be the birthday of the country无毛视频檚 first president.
无毛视频淚t will be a Historic Hotel of America at that point,无毛视频� Plutto said, referring to the building无毛视频檚 eligibility for listing on the National Register of Historic Places and being recognized as having historic significance.
The 14-story hotel building, four of which are below ground, has had several iterations. It was once a nursing home. It once had senior high-rise apartments. It无毛视频檚 served as a bomb shelter. And it also housed a speakeasy at the height of prohibition.
无毛视频淒uring prohibition, Al Capone used to bring in alcohol through the bottom of the hotel,无毛视频� Plutto said. 无毛视频淭here was a speakeasy underneath the loading dock, where you would hit a button, a red light would flash, and they would enter through that way.无毛视频�
Today, the hotel is a prime location for weddings with its combination of grand architecture and modern comforts. The hotel has 200 rooms but only 30 are used, mainly for wedding guests. It hosts 35 to 45 ceremonies a year, accommodating anywhere from 100 to 350 people per event.
There are many stories to be told about the George Washington Hotel. Whether or not all are to be believed, one thing is certain.
无毛视频淵ou don无毛视频檛 find hotels like this anymore,无毛视频� Plutto said.