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鈥檚 鈥淢indhunter.鈥� It鈥檚 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鈥檚 off-hours.
Katherine Mansfield
The George Washington Hotel鈥檚 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鈥檚 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鈥檚 allegedly haunted basement. The ghostly figure in the image is startling, but, alas, only the photographer鈥檚 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鈥檚 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鈥檚 a dim, spooky place to be. The second-floor hallway, pictured here, leads to President John F. Kennedy鈥檚 room, center, where he stayed during a campaign stop in Washington.
Katherine Mansfield
In the George Washington Hotel鈥檚 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鈥檚 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鈥檚 lore.
Katherine Mansfield
An inconspicuous doorway nestled in the George Washington Hotel鈥檚 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鈥檚 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.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a ton of history here,鈥� said Robert Plutto, general manager. 鈥淭here鈥檚 probably as much history here as any hotel in Western Pennsylvania.鈥�
However, if you ask some, the hotel at 60 S. Main St. in Washington鈥檚 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鈥檚 never personally witnessed any beings from beyond frequenting the place, but he has heard many a tale from those who claim they have.
鈥淢y staff has experienced these things,鈥� Plutto said. 鈥淎t night, the piano on the second floor will play. My night auditors and security people say they hear the piano playing at night.鈥�
Others speak of shadowy figures enjoying drinks at the hotel bar when the bar is closed.
鈥淭hey鈥檝e seen people sitting at the bar, ladies in 1920s dresses, bar stools will be pulled out, gentlemen have their fedora hats on,鈥� Plutto said. 鈥淵ou鈥檒l hear people walking throughout the hotel, children running down the hallways at night.鈥�
Some claim to have seen George Washington鈥檚 eyes in a photo in the lobby follow them. Plutto said a picture of the original lobby even has some quirks.
鈥淚f you move it certain ways, you can see individuals you typically wouldn鈥檛 see ever,鈥� 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鈥檚 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.
鈥淪ome people hear voices on the fourth floor,鈥� Plutto said. 鈥淭he owner of the hotel has told me he鈥檚 seen grown men run off the fourth floor. We don鈥檛 use it. It鈥檚 boarded up. It鈥檚 padlocked.鈥�
Plutto said some staff members have a fear of going to the basement, calling it the 鈥渟pookiest place in the hotel.鈥�
Paranormal experts have visited to see, if indeed, there is other-worldly goings-on at the hotel.
鈥淭hey have definitely picked up on things,鈥� Plutto said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 certain guests who believe in the paranormal and they say they鈥檝e picked up on things; they feel like someone walked past them in the hallway. They definitely feel things at night. It鈥檚 almost like the feel of the hotel changes at night.鈥�
The George Washington will celebrate its 100th anniversary on Feb. 23, 2023, which also happens to be the birthday of the country鈥檚 first president.
鈥淚t will be a Historic Hotel of America at that point,鈥� Plutto said, referring to the building鈥檚 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鈥檚 served as a bomb shelter. And it also housed a speakeasy at the height of prohibition.
鈥淒uring prohibition, Al Capone used to bring in alcohol through the bottom of the hotel,鈥� Plutto said. 鈥淭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.鈥�
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.
鈥淵ou don鈥檛 find hotels like this anymore,鈥� Plutto said.