One of the first questions that often arises when planning a vacation or a work trip is: where are we going to stay? A themed vacation rental? A towering hotel with a rooftop pool? Maybe a roadside motel, but some are a little too reminiscent of Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho to actually provide a good night’s sleep…
If you’re heading to Dallas, Texas, the Adolphus Hotel might be one of your options. With over a century of history under its roof, it has plenty of stories to share. But not all of them are as welcoming as the others.
A Brief History of The Adolphus Hotel
When the Adolphus was constructed in 1912 it towered above the growing metropolis of Dallas, Texas– the tallest building at the time. Though its 22 floors have since been dwarfed by a modern skyline, the Adolphus remains a staple of opulence and grandeur amongst Dallas’ accommodations.
It was built to be the first true luxury hotel in all of Texas, and for decades the Adolphus Hotel has lived up to that claim. Travellers from across the globe have been drawn into the grande hotel, finding themselves amongst famous guests including Warren G. Harding, George W. Bush, and even Her Majesty herself – Queen Elizabeth II.
During the Great Depression,The Adolphus remained a popular spot for locals and travellers alike even when other nearby hotels were falling into disrepair Over the years, the ballroom hosted big band greats such as Benny Goodman and Glenn Miller. The music brought the hotel’s glamour to life.
But what happens when the music keeps playing after the musicians are gone?
The Haunting of the Adolphus Hotel
The Adolphus Hotel’s haunted history is far from a secret; infact, the hotel is famous among the occult crowd for spirit-watching. Guests can grab a drink at the hotel bar and learn more about the ghosts that roam the halls and rooms of the Adolphus. The bar menu even features several poems about these spirits of the non-alcoholic variety.
Paranormal occurrences at the Adolphus have ranged from sightings of the “jilted bride”; a resident ghost dating back to the 1930s, to an invisible band playing their tunes well after the entertainment for the evening has gone home. Guests have described apparitions of ghostly figures and the soft melody of a music box.
But of all the strange things that have happened at the Adolphus in over a century of operation, the most disastrous seem to be connected to one location– the hotel elevators.
Photo by Jason Dent on Unsplash
The Murderous Lifts
While spirited swing music and an errant touch on the shoulder by the ghostly bride might not be too alarming, the same cannot be said for the elevators of the Adolphus. These traitorous metal lifts are responsible for more than a few accidents, including a number of fatal ones.
The first documented accident was in 1912, the year the Adolphus first opened. A waiter working in the hotel fell down three floors when he backed through the elevator doors – only to find out, as he tumbled to his demise, that the lift wasn’t there.
This is just one of a plethora of elevator deaths, where the doors have opened and the lift itself is missing.
In 1971, having heard of the countless tragedies that had happened before, a guest warned the porter to check the elevator before stepping inside. “Yes, it’s here,” the porter remarked, only to walk in and find that he was wrong.
While the porter’s death in 1971 was the last to be linked to the elevators, the horrifying history of this hotel continues to haunt it to this day.
Knowing of the death and destruction built into the brick and mortar of the Adolphus, would you still be willing to spend the night there?
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