The Haunted Knickerbocker Hotel

Posted: 05.05.2021 | Updated: 02.06.2025

For decades, the city of Los Angeles has prevailed as the motion picture epicenter of the world. Since the 1920s, the beautiful, the rich, and the famous have flocked to its sparkling skyline and stayed in its luxurious hotels. The Knickerbocker Hollywood Hotel was once among the most popular of these and boasted an impressive guest list of Hollywood elite during its heyday in the 1930s and 40s. Today, it stands as one of the most renowned haunted hotels in Los Angeles, where the spirits of Hollywood’s past still linger.

But as Hollywood Boulevard began to decline in quality and popularity, it dragged the Knickerbocker down with it. The area surrounding the once-great hotel became seedier and seedier until finally, the building was sold in 1972 and remodeled into apartments for LA’s senior citizens. Although living movie stars no longer walk its halls, many believe the Knickerbocker Hotel remains one of the most haunted hotels in LA, with spirits of Hollywood’s past lingering in its eerie corridors.

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Why Is The Knickerbocker the Most Haunted Hotel in LA?

The Knickerbocker Hotel isn’t just a relic of Hollywood’s golden age—it’s a hotspot for ghostly encounters and eerie happenings. With a history marked by celebrity tragedies and unexplained phenomena, it has earned a reputation as one of the most haunted hotels in Los Angeles.

One of the hotel’s most famous paranormal connections is to legendary illusionist Harry Houdini. Following his death in 1926, his widow, Bess Houdini, held séances on the Knickerbocker’s rooftop in a desperate attempt to reach him from beyond the grave. Though she eventually abandoned her efforts, some believe Houdini’s spirit never left.

Tragedy also struck in 1962 when famed costume designer Irene Lentz, known for dressing Hollywood’s biggest stars, leapt to her death from her hotel window. To this day, guests and staff report unsettling experiences—disembodied whispers, shadowy figures lurking in dimly lit corridors, and objects moving on their own.

With so many eerie tales woven into its history, the Knickerbocker remains one of LA’s most mysterious and haunted hotels. Could its ghostly residents still be keeping watch over Hollywood’s past?

A Glimpse into Hollywood’s Golden Age

Standing outside the unassuming gray building today, you’d never guess that legends like Marilyn Monroe, Maureen O’Sullivan, and Elvis Presley once walked its halls. Once a glamorous retreat for Hollywood’s elite, the Knickerbocker Hotel now serves as a residence for much older, less star-studded tenants. However, traces of its dazzling past remain—most notably, the massive Art Deco chandelier hanging in the lobby, a relic of an era filled with glitz, film moguls, and lavish parties.

The hotel first opened its doors in July 1929, joining Hollywood’s growing collection of swanky high-rises. Its adjacent nightclub, the Lido Room, quickly became a hotspot for actors, producers, and directors. Throughout the 1930s, the Knickerbocker thrived, hosting extravagant gatherings for film stars like Maureen O’Sullivan, Jackie Coogan, and even Lucille Ball. During the 1932 Olympic Games, it even housed Danish and Indian delegation events, solidifying its place as a hub of Hollywood’s high society.

Now, though its glamorous days are gone, the Knickerbocker remains a haunted hotel in Los Angeles, still steeped in the mystery of Hollywood’s past.

Houdini, Magicians, and Hollywood’s Forgotten Legend

In 1935, the hotel played host to a very different kind of celebrity—the Pacific Coast Association of Magicians held their annual convention at the Knickerbocker, drawing an eccentric crowd of illusionists and tricksters. The event featured daring performances, including a blindfolded car race and an escape artist freeing himself from a straitjacket while dangling from the hotel’s balcony. The following year, Bess Houdini, widow of the legendary magician Harry Houdini, chose the Knickerbocker as the site for her late husband’s annual séance, hoping to make contact from beyond the grave. Though Houdini never appeared, the event was a massive success, further adding to the hotel’s mystique.

The Knickerbocker also became a haven for Hollywood’s forgotten figures, including legendary silent film director D.W. Griffith. By the late 1930s, Griffith, once one of the most powerful names in film, had faded into obscurity. He spent his final days at the hotel, reading alone in his room or taking quiet strolls down Hollywood Boulevard. On July 23, 1938, he was found unconscious in the lobby after suffering a stroke and passed away shortly after.

The Slow Decline and Lingering Spirits

As Hollywood’s Golden Age faded in the 1960s, so too did the Knickerbocker’s luster. Once a bustling playground for young, rising stars, the hotel became a refuge for celebrities seeking privacy. Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio would meet there for secret dates, and according to reports, they even spent their honeymoon in one of its rooms in January 1954. Just two years later, Elvis Presley stayed at the hotel while filming Love Me Tender, marking one of its last major celebrity visits.

By the 1970s, the Knickerbocker had fallen into disrepair. No longer a desirable destination, it struggled to attract guests, eventually closing its doors as a hotel. In 1972, it was converted into a senior living facility, officially ending its reign as a Hollywood hotspot. But while its glamorous days are long gone, eerie stories persist—residents have reported strange occurrences, shadowy figures, and ghostly whispers echoing through the halls. Perhaps the spirits of Hollywood’s past have refused to check out.

Ghostly Residents of the Knickerbocker

Though the Knickerbocker Hotel has long since faded from its glamorous heyday, some of its most notable residents seem reluctant to leave. Among the more unusual spirits said to roam its halls is Speck, an English Setter dog who once belonged to hotel manager Jack Matthews.

During the 1930s and 40s, Speck was a beloved fixture at the hotel, often seen trotting through the lobby or politely riding the elevator—pressing the buttons himself with his paw. Even in death, Speck appears to continue his routine, with reports of an old English Setter riding the elevator, padding down hallways, or waiting outside his master’s former office.

With such eerie and endearing encounters, the Knickerbocker Hotel has become a famous haunted hotel in Los Angeles, where spirits of Hollywood’s past still make their presence known.

Another frequent apparition is that of legendary silent film director D.W. Griffith, who spent his final years at the Knickerbocker before suffering a fatal stroke in the lobby in 1938. Residents have reported encounters with an elderly man in old-fashioned clothing, swinging a cane and humming to himself. Long-time employees often dismiss the sightings with a simple explanation: “That’s just old Mr. Griffith.”

The Haunting of Irene Gibbons

Of all the spirits said to inhabit the Knickerbocker, none is more chilling than that of Irene Gibbons. A celebrated costume designer in Hollywood’s Golden Age, Irene saw her career decline in the 1960s, much like the hotel itself. In 1962, she checked into the Knickerbocker for the last time, drinking heavily before drafting a suicide note and leaping from her window to her death.

To this day, an eerie chill is said to linger in her room, and some visitors report an inexplicable urge to jump whenever they pass by the window. Others claim to see a disheveled woman standing in the windowsill, only for her to vanish when they rush upstairs to investigate. In the most terrifying accounts, witnesses see her spirit reenact her tragic final moments—plummeting from the window, only to disappear before impact.

Though the Knickerbocker may no longer be the glamorous Hollywood retreat it once was, its spectral guests ensure that its legendary past is never forgotten. As one of the most famous haunted hotels in Los Angeles, the hotel’s ghostly inhabitants continue to haunt its halls, keeping the spirits of Hollywood’s golden age alive.

Haunted Los Angeles

Nestled in the heart of Hollywood, the Knickerbocker Hotel holds a history as fascinating as it is eerie. Once a glamorous hotspot for Golden Age celebrities, this legendary hotel has since gained a reputation for its ghostly connections and mysterious past.

Opening in the 1920s, the Knickerbocker was a hub for Hollywood’s elite, hosting stars like Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley. However, its legacy is also tinged with tragedy. Perhaps most famously, the renowned illusionist Harry Houdini’s widow held séances on the hotel’s rooftop in an attempt to contact her late husband. To this day, some claim his spirit still lingers.

Guests and staff have reported unexplained phenomena, from shadowy figures to disembodied whispers echoing through the halls. With its storied past and lingering spirits, the Knickerbocker Hotel remains one of the most haunted hotels in Los Angeles—a must-visit for those drawn to the supernatural, making it a prime example of a haunted hotel in Los Angeles.

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Sources:

• https://www.authorsden.com/visit/viewarticle.asp?AuthorID=39569&id=43212
• https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/houdini-biography/
• https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/who-was-the-real-marilyn-monroe-blonde-180980813/
• https://www.britannica.com/event/Los-Angeles-1932-Olympic-Games
• https://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2020/10/hollywood-houdini-and-the-halloween-seance-of-1936/
• http://www.elvis-history-blog.com/love_me_tender.html
• https://yesterdaysamerica.com/the-rise-and-fall-of-hollywoods-golden-age-2/