It’s October and that means time for the annual A Grave Interest
haunting posts. Take a few moments and we'll stroll though some of the hotels that aren't normally talked about when it comes to hauntings ... and discover guests
who refuse to check out.
 |
The Brown Hotel
|
It was 1923, during the Roaring Twenties, when The Brown Hotel was built. It was the place to be seen if you were someone in politics or society. There were sixteen floors with more than 600 guest rooms along with ball rooms, meeting rooms, restaurants and bars on the premises.
Owner James Graham Brown resided in the hotel on the 15th floor in the Penthouse. More than 4-million dollars was spent during the 10 month construction of the hotel, and the English Renaissance opulence was derigger with crystal chandeliers and a soaring two story lobby with a wrap around balcony, Palladian-style windows, Bottocino limestone floors, hand-painted coffered ceilings and mahogany furniture. The former Prime Minister of Great Britain, David Lloyd George was the hotel’s first registered guest.
Dinner dances were popular during the 20’s and The Brown was the place to go with more than 1200 people attending in an evening.
It was here in 1926 that the infamous “Hot Brown” was created by Chef Fred Schmidt. It is said that Schmidt wanted to serve something different to late night dancers so he did a riff on the traditional ham and and egg breakfast. Instead he took roast turkey and bacon served it on a piece of bread and smothered it with Mornay sauce before broiling it until the bread turned crisp and the sauce began to brown.
Then came the Great Depression and with it hard times for The Brown Hotel.
Employees worked during 1931 without wages just to keep the doors open. The Great Flood of 1937 flowed into the first floor of the hotel. But the hotel rebounded during the 1940s. With Fort Knox located south of the city, an influx of servicemen passing through stayed here on route to war assignments during WWII.
When Brown died in 1969, the hotel began a death spiral. It was closed in 1971 and sold to the Jefferson County Public School system as a home for its Board of Education.
Several hotel chains have owned the structure since the 1980s but in 2006, 1859 Historic Hotels purchased the building and renovated it back to its 1920s splendor.
But as with most historic hotels, this one is haunted. Rumor has it that James Graham Brown decided to stay on after his death. Although the fifteenth floor is not open to guests, employees and staff have reported seeing footprints appear in the dust on the floor while they were there. Guests occupying rooms under the penthouse on the fourteenth floor report being awakened by the sounds of heavy furniture being moved about upstairs. The elevators are known to stop randomly on the 15th floor although no one gets on or off.
Others have reported the smell of cigar smoke lingering in the air throughout the hotel although it is designated “no smoking.” Employees have spotted Brown standing on the second floor Mezzanine watching guests. If he is approached, he steps behind a column and disappears. Cold spots are common on the Mezzanine. It's said he really “comes to life” during the weeks in April before the Kentucky Derby.
Today the hotel once again welcomes guests with the aura of a by-gone era and is known world-wide for its Southern hospitality. For more information visit www.BrownHotel.com.
The Brown Hotel is located at the corner of Fourth and Broadway in Louisville, Kentucky.
Happy October Hauntings!
~ Joy
Owner James Graham Brown resided in the hotel on the 15th floor in the Penthouse. More than 4-million dollars was spent during the 10 month construction of the hotel, and the English Renaissance opulence was derigger with crystal chandeliers and a soaring two story lobby with a wrap around balcony, Palladian-style windows, Bottocino limestone floors, hand-painted coffered ceilings and mahogany furniture. The former Prime Minister of Great Britain, David Lloyd George was the hotel’s first registered guest.
It was here in 1926 that the infamous “Hot Brown” was created by Chef Fred Schmidt. It is said that Schmidt wanted to serve something different to late night dancers so he did a riff on the traditional ham and and egg breakfast. Instead he took roast turkey and bacon served it on a piece of bread and smothered it with Mornay sauce before broiling it until the bread turned crisp and the sauce began to brown.
When Brown died in 1969, the hotel began a death spiral. It was closed in 1971 and sold to the Jefferson County Public School system as a home for its Board of Education.
Several hotel chains have owned the structure since the 1980s but in 2006, 1859 Historic Hotels purchased the building and renovated it back to its 1920s splendor.
Graham Brown decided to stay on after his death. Although the fifteenth floor is not open to guests, employees and staff have reported seeing footprints appear in the dust on the floor while they were there. Guests occupying rooms under the penthouse on the fourteenth floor report being awakened by the sounds of heavy furniture being moved about upstairs. The elevators are known to stop randomly on the 15th floor although no one gets on or off. 
Others have reported the smell of cigar smoke lingering in the air throughout the hotel although it is designated “no smoking.” Employees have spotted Brown standing on the second floor Mezzanine watching guests. If he is approached, he steps behind a column and disappears. Cold spots are common on the Mezzanine. It's said he really “comes to life” during the weeks in April before the Kentucky Derby. 
Today the hotel once again welcomes guests with the aura of a by-gone era and is known world-wide for its Southern hospitality. For more information visit www.BrownHotel.com.
