Hello, boils and ghouls! As we get ready to celebrate Halloween, we here at Facilities Management Advisor wanted to have some horrific fun by looking at the statistics and hauntings of 13 facilities throughout America.
These buildings have facilities professionals who make sure everything runs smoothly despite the spirits, and they include hotels, an airport, theaters, bed and breakfasts, a brewery, museums, a stadium, and a mall with an office tower.
1. The Stanley
Location: Estes Park, Colorado
Size: 68 acres
Architectural style: Colonial Revival
What’s here: 14 buildings with 41,000 square feet of event space; a 530-person concert hall; 262 hotel rooms; an 80-seat underground theater; 4 restaurants; 4 unique tours; 3 bars; and a spa
Opened: 1909
Formerly: A posh resort for upper-class easterners and a health retreat for those suffering from tuberculosis
Owner: Grand Heritage Hotel Group
Haunted Happenings: Famous for inspiring Stephen King’s The Shining and the fictional Overlook Hotel, the Stanley has some real-life ghosts of its own. Featured in King’s novel, Room 217 is haunted by head chambermaid Elizabeth Wilson, who survived an explosion with a gas lantern but died in 1950. As she tidies up the room, unmarried people feel a chilly presence in their beds. Strange lights, children’s laughter, and partygoers can be observed on the fourth floor, and guests attending the concert hall can hear and feel the touch of ghosts. Additionally, the hotel’s inventor, Freelan Oscar Stanley, and his wife, Flora, can be seen and felt at the bar and billiard room. Be sure to have some spirits with the spirits! Read more ghost stories here.
2. Daniel K. Inouye International Airport
Location: Honolulu, Hawaii
Size: 4,520 acres
Architectural style: Modern airport landscaped with trees and flowers of the Hawaiian Islands
What’s here: 4 active runways, 34 retail outlets, 20 restaurants and bars, 4 conference rooms, 8 federal governmental agencies, a business center, a jail, a post office, car rental agencies, and other travel-related businesses
Opened: 1927
Formerly: Honolulu International Airport (1951–2017), Honolulu Airport (1947–1951), and John Rodgers Airport (1927–1947)
Owner: State of Hawaii Department of Transportation
Haunted Happenings: A woman with blonde hair in a white dress on the runway—called the “lady in waiting”—fell for a man who promised to marry her but never returned, so she committed suicide. Sightings include unraveling toilet paper and slamming toilet seats in restrooms in restricted areas of the airport, as well as a ghostly figure riding in the airport shuttle after midnight.
3. Washington Hall at the University of Notre Dame
Location: Notre Dame, Indiana
Size: 3-floor building on a 1,265-acre campus
Architectural style: Modern Gothic
What’s here: 550-person auditorium, a black box theatre, and a 100-person rehearsal room
Opened: 1881
Formerly: Originally a 700-seat theater with classrooms
Owner: University of Notre Dame
Haunted Happenings: At the end of a football game, George Gipp, nicknamed “The Gipper,” legendary all-American member of the 1920 Fighting Irish football team, got locked out of his dormitory after curfew. He slept on the steps of this nearby building and died of pneumonia. The ghost of The Gipper charges into Washington Hall on a white horse, giving Notre Dame the reputation of being ranked the 19th most haunted college campus in the nation.
4. The Lizzie Borden House
Location: Fall River, Massachusetts
Size: 3,935 square feet
Architectural style: Victorian architecture
What’s here: A bed and breakfast, an event space for weddings and storytelling, and ghost tours
Opened: 1845
Formerly: A 14-room house
Owner: Lance Zaal
Haunted Happenings: Many have heard the famous jump rope song “Lizzie Borden took an axe and gave her mother forty whacks. When she saw what she had done, she gave her father forty-one.” Why not tie the knot at the site of the 1892 double murder of Lizzie’s father and stepmother, Andrew and Abby Borden? Lizzie was accused but was acquitted. Guests can experience strange odors, voices, moving objects, feeling touched at night, and even full-body apparitions. The house was purchased for $2 million and turned into a tourist bed and breakfast.
5. Moon River Brewing Company
Location: Savannah, Georgia
Size: A 5,400-square-foot beer garden with a 3,600-square-foot brewery
Architectural style: The single-story garden house with a cypress pergola is next to an original four-story Regency-style hotel.
What’s here: A brewery, brewpub, and beer garden
Opened: 1821
Formerly: The brewery/brewpub was a hotel, the first branch of the U.S. Post Office in Savannah, a bank branch, and Oglethorpe Brewing Co., and the beer garden was an office supply store.
Owner: John Pinkerton
Haunted Happenings: Looking to have a beer with some ghosts? Pull up a chair! When it was a hotel, Dr. Phillip Minus shot a known drunk named James Stark. Additionally, a Yankee named James Sinclair was attacked by a lynch mob, as people didn’t like that a Yankee was staying at their hotel. When the building was a hospital, hundreds of children and adults died of yellow fever, and all of their ghosts continue to haunt this facility.
6. Old Louisiana State Capitol
Location: Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Size: 5 acres
Architectural style: Neo-Gothic medieval castle
What’s here: The Museum of Political History, the Ghost of the Castle Show 4D theatrical presentation, a gift shop, group tours, and special events
Opened: 1847
Formerly: The State Capitol building, a hospital, and a prison
Owner: State of Louisiana
Haunted Happenings: It’s haunted by Pierre Couvillion, a congressman during the mid-1800s. He died of natural causes—supposedly a heart attack during a passionate argument—while in the Capitol building. His ghost causes motion detectors to go off when nobody’s around and mysterious footprints on the Senate floor. The basement is particularly haunted, which was once a hospital and a prison for political prisoners during the Civil War.
7. Old Hospital on College Hill
Location: Williamson, West Virginia
Size: 80,000 square feet
Architectural style: A French Second Empire-style building with Neoclassical Revival architectural elements
What’s here: Tours and escape rooms
Opened: 1928
Formerly: Williamson Memorial Hospital with 72 beds, 32 private patient rooms, and 7 wards (1928–1988). It became a medical office and a clinic complex (1988–2014), then was used as storage (2014–2018) and for Halloween tours (2018–2020).
Owners: Tonya Webb and Sabrina Hatfield
Haunted Happenings: One of the most notable ghosts is Mose Blackburn. In 1962, Blackburn was shot in the arm by police after exchanging gunfire with his wife outside a restaurant. He was taken to this hospital, where he ripped open the screen and jumped from the third-story window. He was in critical condition after the fall and died from his injuries. His voice can be heard in the halls of this hospital today, and there are reports of figures, sounds, and strange occurrences.
8. Old Jail Museum
Location: Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania
Size: 72 rooms, including cells and warden’s living quarters
Architectural style: Stone
What’s here: Guided tours and a gift shop
Opened: 1870
Formerly: Carbon County Jail with warden’s house (1870–1995)
Owners: Tom McBride and his wife, Betty Lou
Haunted Happenings: The spirits of seven Irish coal miners from the 1800s known as the Molly Maguires were hanged after being accused of murdering nine bosses and their constituents, and they now haunt the jail. A large muddy handprint was left by Alexander Campbell, one of the Molly Maguires, claiming it was proof he was an innocent man. The handprint remains even though attempts were made to remove, replaster, paint, sand, and construct a new wall. Apparitions and strange shadow figures are also observed, and loud bangs can be heard from the solitary confinement cells. Additionally, the warden and his wife are seen and heard, and objects move and pots and pans clang in the warden apartment area.
9. Masonic Temple Detroit
Location: Detroit, Michigan
Size: 550,000 square feet
Architectural style: Gothic
What’s here: Coined “The Largest Masonic Building in the World,” it features several large theaters and ballrooms, a chapel, a Greek Iconic room, and other spaces, as well as an unfinished theater, 8 Craft Lodge rooms, and a shrine. There are also tours of the facility’s 14 floors and 1,037 rooms.
Opened: 1926
Formerly: Hotel rooms, space for 50 Masonic organizations, billiard and game rooms, an athletic complex
Owner: Masonic Temple Association of Detroit
Haunted Happenings: This building is haunted by the spirit of George D. Mason, who went bankrupt funding the facility’s construction. His wife left him, and he jumped off the roof of the temple. Security guards have seen his apparition going up the stairs to the roof. There are various cold spots and doors that close suddenly, and visitors say they feel like they’re being watched. It was declared one of the most haunted places in Detroit!
10. Lincoln Park Zoo
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Size: 35 acres
Architectural style: A blend of Prairie and Classical Revival styles
What’s here: Nearly 200 unique species of animals from throughout the world, including apes, primates, birds of prey, penguins, birds, small mammals, reptiles, waterfowl, seals, and more, as well as four food outlets, a visitor center, and a gift shop
Opened: 1868
Formerly: The Chicago City Cemetery with more than 35,000 people (1843–1859)
Owner: Chicago Park District
Haunted Happenings: 12,000 bodies are still under the zoo and are to blame for its hauntings. People can see ghosts wearing Victorian-era clothing throughout the park, including a woman near the Lion House walking the grounds and in a lady’s room near the exhibit. Flickering lights and doors slamming on their own have also been reported.
11. Mark Twain House & Museum
Location: Hartford, Connecticut
Size: The museum is 32,700 square feet, and the house is 11,500 square feet, with 25 rooms on 3 floors.
Architectural style: High Victorian Gothic
What’s here: There are three buildings. One is the Webster Bank Museum Center, with a ticket counter, a museum store, a café, a 250-seat reception-style hall, a 175-seat auditorium, a 60-seat café, a classroom, a research library, exhibitions archival and collection storage, and a terrace. It was the first museum in the nation to attain a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. The second is a historic home that provides tours, and the third is a historic carriage house with offices and a 50-seat banquet hall.
Opened: 1874
Formerly: A mansion
Owner: Mark Twain Memorial and Library Commission
Haunted Happenings: Strange occurrences plague the historic Mark Twain House, including flickering lights and shadowy figures. Twain (real name Samuel Clemmens) had encounters with spirits in 1900 while living and working here, including large floating pieces of wood and drops of blood scattered around. Additionally, Jan Bartell, who moved into a large apartment in the home, saw a large shadow figure and noticed strange smells. The hauntings might be caused by Lisa Nussbaum, who was murdered at 6 years old, possibly by her father, Joel Steinberg.
12. Dodger Stadium
Location: Los Angeles, California
Size: 300 acres
Architectural style: Southern California 1960s “modern” style
What’s here: It’s the largest Major League Baseball (MLB) stadium, with 56,000 seats, and is home to the Los Angeles Dodgers, as well as concerts and events.
Opened: 1962
Formerly: A cemetery and neighborhood
Owner: Guggenheim Baseball Management
Haunted Happenings: A couple on their honeymoon plummeted to their deaths from a hillside here overlooking Los Angeles. Many Dodgers employees say they see a woman dressed in white jumping over the cliff. Souls from the Hebrew Benevolent Society haunt the field as well, as the cemetery was moved to make room for the stadium’s parking lot. Additionally, the stadium’s construction displaced thousands of Mexican-American families in the Chavez Ravine, and it’s believed their spirits roam the grounds.
13. Dimond Center
Location: Anchorage, Alaska
Size: 728,000 square feet
Architectural style: Two multilevel buildings
What’s here: Over 50 stores; 21 eateries; a 109-room hotel; 23 professional offices; 2 military recruiter offices; 10 entertainment venues, including a 16-screen movie theater; a bowling alley; a health club; an ice rink; and an athletic club paying homage to the Anchorage Bucs. Just in time for Halloween, it also features a seasonal Spirit of Halloween store, taking over a dead Pier 1 Imports location.
Opened: 1977
Formerly: Alaska Native burial ground
Owner: Hugh Ashlock
Haunted Happenings: Those who use the restrooms alone in this mall are visited by the spirits of those underneath the facility. Construction workers had found tiny and ancient graves, but the mall was built anyway. Flute and drum music can be heard, and transparent wolves, ghostly people dressed in native clothing, and strange lights can be seen in the mall. Strange smells have also been reported.
Whether or not you believe in spirits, security professionals work with facilities professionals to ensure these buildings aren’t the target of Halloween mischief. We here at Facilities Management Advisor wish you all a happy and safe Halloween!