Dallas is one of those cities that became famous for its splendid life. Here, you can see a lot of luxury cars, try delicious food, visit unusual establishments and even stay in luxurious hotels. Read more on dallas1.one.
The Adolphus Hotel has been a leader in the Dallas hotel business for more than a century. Its majesty and uniqueness fascinate visitors. In addition, influential and famous people can be often seen among the guests.
History of the Adolphus Hotel
The Adolphus Hotel was built in 1912 by the order of the founder of the Anheuser-Busch company, Adolphus Busch. The building was named in his honor. The construction process was led by architect Thomas P. Barnett, who was hired by Busch. Since Barnett was a representative of the well-known architectural firm Haynes & Barnett, he put his best efforts and knowledge into building a hotel in the complex and luxurious Beaux-Arts style.
When the construction of the 22-story Adolphus Hotel was completed, it was long considered the tallest building in the entire state of Texas.
Adolphus Busch’s dream of opening the grandest hotel became a reality on October 5, 1912, when the doors of Adolphus opened for the first time to an amazed public and the first guests. Everyone admired the design of the building, as well as the spaciousness and luxury of its rooms. The Adolphus Hotel quickly became national, because tourists from all over the world stopped in it during their travels.
Throughout the history of its existence, the Adolphus Hotel never experienced periods of decline. It was constantly in demand and was inhabited during the years of the Great Depression, the First and Second World Wars, pandemics and other global crises.
Famous guests of the hotel
One of the reasons why the Adolphus Hotel in Dallas never experienced a crisis was its popular guests. Throughout its history, influential politicians, stars, writers and other celebrities have repeatedly stayed in it.
In the 1930s, the National Hotel Management Company helped manage the hotel. Thanks to the activities of Ralph Hitz, one of the company’s members, the Adolphus not only survived the years of the Great Depression but also prospered. Ralph regularly invited leading musicians to perform at the hotel. Then, it was possible to see the performances of Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman and many others here. Hundreds of Texas residents came to Dallas to see unique performances at the Adolphus Hotel. However, not only musicians could be seen on stage. Comedians also performed at the hotel, for example, Bob Hope and Jack Benny.
Famous politicians also stayed at the Adolphus Hotel during their visits to Dallas. Throughout its history, the institution has enjoyed the patronage of several presidents of the United States of America, including Warren Harding and George W. Bush. Guests from Great Britain also showed affection for the city’s most famous hotel. In May 1991, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip spent three nights at the Dallas hotel.
The visit that brought the Adolphus Hotel even more glory than the stay of the royal family belongs to Victor Hugo Green. In 1936, he published his Green Book, a guide for black motorists, in which he described in detail safe hotels. The Adolphus Hotel took a prominent place in this edition, as every guest was always welcome there and there were no cases of racial discrimination.
The story of a bride who was abandoned in the Dallas hotel
The crystal-clear reputation of the Adolphus Hotel in Dallas is such only at first glance. For those who know a little more about the establishment than the average tourist, it will come as no surprise to hear that there have actually been a lot of spooky events at the hotel. The most terrible of them was the suicide of a young girl right in one of the hotel rooms.
This tragedy happened in 1935. A young girl and her guests were accommodated on the 19th floor of the hotel on the eve of the wedding. On the day when the groom and his relatives were supposed to come, they waited in vain. When the bride realized that she was abandoned, she ran to her room in tears and locked herself there. After long hours of persuasion, her relatives began to sound the alarm because she was not responding. Breaking down the door, the employees saw a terrible picture. A young girl in a white wedding dress committed suicide by hanging herself from a chandelier.
Since then, all the guests living on the 19th floor have complained about a woman crying and screaming, which seems to not stop all night. Even the employees of the Adolphus Hotel complain about the strange events that constantly take place on this floor. Sometimes, they also hear crying or incomprehensible stomping. Then, the light went out on the entire floor for unknown reasons or some other strange situations happened. The woman who cleaned the infamous 19th floor has quit the hotel. According to her, as soon as she got out of the elevator to the floor, she immediately felt dizzy and began to feel nauseous. By the way, the elevator deserves special attention.
Other scary events in the Adolphus Hotel
The first tragic death that occurred almost immediately after the hotel opened was related to its elevator. Two weeks after opening, a waiter died there. A young man who had come to Dallas from Chicago to make money was exiting the elevator and returning to say something to his colleague. When he took a step, the elevator had already started to go up. A waiter fell into a shaft and crushed his skull.
A similar incident happened in a hotel in 1917. A lifter, who wanted to jump into the elevator at the last moment, fell into it.
It would seem that these tragic deaths should have taught other people to be more careful with the elevator, but it never happened. In 1924, the victim of an elevator was a cook who wanted to shout something into the shaft. He did not notice that the elevator was descending directly on his head. It happened a few days before Halloween. This was far from the last life that ended because of this terrible elevator.
Almost 50 years have passed and the elevator once again demanded to take someone’s life. On March 15, 1971, another employee hurriedly entered the lift cabin and did not notice that instead of the floor he stepped into the darkness.
Such a huge number of deaths due to the elevator in the Adolphus Hotel caused the appearance of hundreds of scary stories. Hotel guests say that when they go up the elevator, they often hear screams and moans coming from the shaft.
Hotel’s awards
The owners of the Adolphus Hotel adhere to the international standards of the hotel business. It got many awards. The most prestigious of them include those according to which the Adolphus Hotel is:
- Added to the National Register of Historic Places (1983)
- Listed as a Dallas Landmark (1987)
- Named one of the top ten in the US by Condé Nast Traveler (an American travel magazine)
- Leads the ratings in the hotel business according to Zagat, Fodor’s and Frommer’s
- Takes a prominent place in the Autograph collection of the Marriott company (an organization that develops the hotel and restaurant business in the US).