FettFan
Well-Known Member
In the afterglow and economic boom following the end of World War II, the Hollywood Tower Hotel was purchased by the architectural firm of Isner, Katz & Welles and plans were made to restore the venerable building to its former glory. The building would be redesigned to preserve the existing structure, but the missing exterior would not be rebuilt. “As a tribute” said Isner, “to the event of that fateful night and those who lost their lives.”
As a show of good faith to the city, as well as the owners of the new K-RCK (Radio California King) station that had just begun construction across the street, their first step in the refurbishment was to remove and refurbish the sign. The sign was then reinstalled at its current position, now illuminated for all to see.
But that’s when the manifestations began. One electrician, Robert Chapel, reported hearing ghostly voices calling out to him.
A crane operator by the name of J. O. Rhodes claimed that upon entering the building, he was bombarded by the sensation of blowing fans and flashing lights that paralyzed him in fear; “I couldn’t move. I wanted nothing more than to get away, but my arms and legs were just stuck in place.”
The ghostly occurrences continued, and grew more and more intense, with more and more experiencing paranormal experiences: the calling voices and strange strobing lights were joined by ghostly figures walking through the hotel lobby, phantom jazz music in the courtyard, and the cries of a small child being heard coming from the elevator shafts.
Things came to a head one month into the project, when a construction worker by the name of Miguel Ortiz bumped into one of the old hotel’s marquis signs, knocking a number of the letters off.
Upon inspection, it was discovered that the letters that had fallen to the bottom had spelled the message “EVL TOWR UR DOOMD”.
Ortiz believed that the tower had cursed him, at which point he climbed the stairs adjacent to the elevator shafts and leapt to his death.
After this incident, all work halted indefinitely. The firm of Isner Katz & Welles was officially disbanded after being forced into a multimillion dollar wrongful death settlement by the Ortiz family, and the old hotel was abandoned once again.
There has been debate on to what the future of this site shall be. One city planner Kathleen Kenney has proposed that the building be demolished completely for new development. “We must let the past die, even kill it if we must, or we will never progress effectively.”
Others aren’t so certain. Councilman Robbie Igorovich has proposed keeping the building but repurposing it into a museum. “I’ve been in touch with a number of curators who would love to display their antiquities in such a beautiful building.”
But the good citizens of Hollywood have other ideas.
“we should just work to preserve it as it is”, said Mayor Sonny Burbank. “This old tower is as just as much part of the Hollywood experience as the Chinese Theater. People come from all over the world to experience its mystery.”
As a show of good faith to the city, as well as the owners of the new K-RCK (Radio California King) station that had just begun construction across the street, their first step in the refurbishment was to remove and refurbish the sign. The sign was then reinstalled at its current position, now illuminated for all to see.
But that’s when the manifestations began. One electrician, Robert Chapel, reported hearing ghostly voices calling out to him.
A crane operator by the name of J. O. Rhodes claimed that upon entering the building, he was bombarded by the sensation of blowing fans and flashing lights that paralyzed him in fear; “I couldn’t move. I wanted nothing more than to get away, but my arms and legs were just stuck in place.”
The ghostly occurrences continued, and grew more and more intense, with more and more experiencing paranormal experiences: the calling voices and strange strobing lights were joined by ghostly figures walking through the hotel lobby, phantom jazz music in the courtyard, and the cries of a small child being heard coming from the elevator shafts.
Things came to a head one month into the project, when a construction worker by the name of Miguel Ortiz bumped into one of the old hotel’s marquis signs, knocking a number of the letters off.
Upon inspection, it was discovered that the letters that had fallen to the bottom had spelled the message “EVL TOWR UR DOOMD”.
Ortiz believed that the tower had cursed him, at which point he climbed the stairs adjacent to the elevator shafts and leapt to his death.
After this incident, all work halted indefinitely. The firm of Isner Katz & Welles was officially disbanded after being forced into a multimillion dollar wrongful death settlement by the Ortiz family, and the old hotel was abandoned once again.
There has been debate on to what the future of this site shall be. One city planner Kathleen Kenney has proposed that the building be demolished completely for new development. “We must let the past die, even kill it if we must, or we will never progress effectively.”
Others aren’t so certain. Councilman Robbie Igorovich has proposed keeping the building but repurposing it into a museum. “I’ve been in touch with a number of curators who would love to display their antiquities in such a beautiful building.”
But the good citizens of Hollywood have other ideas.
“we should just work to preserve it as it is”, said Mayor Sonny Burbank. “This old tower is as just as much part of the Hollywood experience as the Chinese Theater. People come from all over the world to experience its mystery.”
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