The Hotel San Carlos branch in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...

, also known as San Carlos Hotel, is both an operating hotel and tourist site. It has been associated with ghost sightings. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

(NRHP) in 1983 as San Carlos Hotel. Hotel San Carlos is a member of

Historic Hotels of America Historic Hotels of America is a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation that was founded in 1989 with 32 charter members; the program accepts nominations and identifies hotels that have maintained their authenticity, sense of pla ...

, the official program of the

National Trust for Historic Preservation The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a privately funded, nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that works in the field of historic preservation in the United States. The member-supported organization was founded in 1949 by ...

Legend

Many employees have said that they have seen ghosts at the hotel, the most commonly mentioned being that of Leone Jensen. This caused the

Travel Channel Travel Channel (stylized as Trvl Channel since 2018) is an American pay television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, which had previously owned the channel from 1997 to 2007. The channel is headquartered in New York, New York, United S ...

to dedicate part of their show World Travels to the hotel. This feature on the hotel was premiered on Monday, January 19, 2004. Whether the ghost sighting theory is a promotional stunt is debatable.

Historical facts

The site where the hotel sits was the location of the first school in Phoenix. The 4-room adobe school was inaugurated in 1874 and was replaced with a larger structure in 1879. The school was enlarged several times in subsequent years but was condemned in 1916, with construction of a luxury hotel in mind. In addition, many area children died during the 1918

Spanish flu The 1918–1920 influenza pandemic, commonly known by the misnomer Spanish flu or as the Great Influenza epidemic, was an exceptionally deadly global influenza pandemic caused by the H1N1 influenza A virus. The earliest documented case was ...

epidemic that attacked the United States. In 1919, the land was bought by the Babbitt family (relatives of

Bruce Babbitt The English language name Bruce arrived in Scotland with the Normans, from the place name Brix, Manche in Normandy, France, meaning "the willowlands". Initially promulgated via the descendants of king Robert the Bruce (1274−1329), it has been a ...

, former Arizona Governor and Secretary of the Interior), who intended to build a hotel. The San Carlos Hotel project was finally begun by Charles Harris and Dwight D. Heard who purchased the property from the Babbitts. Harris and Heard formed the Hotel San Carlos Company and construction began in 1927. The hotel was designed by nationally known architect George Whitecross Richie in the Italian Renaissance style. Construction was undertaken by Kinnie & Westerhouse General Contractors. The hotel was state of the art with air conditioning (the first in Phoenix), elevators, circulating chilled water in the rooms and steam heat. The hotel grand opening was on March 19, 1928. The hotel was built at a cost of nearly $850,000. Charles Harris was the co-owner and managing partner of the San Carlos, and took over full-time management of the San Carlos after the original manager, Dwight Heard, died in 1929. Harris moved his family into the roof-top bungalow (or penthouse) and worked diligently to keep the San Carlos Hotel open during the Great Depression. The hotel remained in the Harris family until 1967 when Harris' widow, Elsie, sold the property to an investment group. The investment group was unsuccessful and in 1970 sold the San Carlos to Gregory Melikian. Over the past 43 years, Melikian and his family have owned, operated and lovingly restored the San Carlos Hotel to its original splendor. The Melikian family has been instrumental in saving many historic properties in Phoenix. The hotel competed with the posh Westward Ho hotel completed nearby the following year, which was located on the site of what once was Phoenix's first radio transmitter and whose list of clientele include such celebrities as

Jack Dempsey William Harrison "Jack" Dempsey (June 24, 1895 – May 31, 1983), nicknamed Kid Blackie and The Manassa Mauler, was an American professional boxer who competed from 1914 to 1927, and reigned as the world heavyweight champion from 1919 to 1926. ...

and

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination i ...

. The San Carlos had its share of celebrities such as

Mae West Mae West (born Mary Jane West; August 17, 1893 – November 22, 1980) was an American stage and film actress, playwright, screenwriter, singer, and sex symbol whose entertainment career spanned over seven decades. She was known for her breezy ...

Clark Gable William Clark Gable (February 1, 1901November 16, 1960) was an American film actor, often referred to as "The King of Hollywood". He had roles in more than 60 motion pictures in multiple genres during a career that lasted 37 years, three decades ...

Carole Lombard Carole Lombard (born Jane Alice Peters; October 6, 1908 – January 16, 1942) was an American actress, particularly noted for her energetic, often off-beat roles in screwball comedies. In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked Lombard 2 ...

Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe (; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; 1 June 1926 4 August 1962) was an American actress. Famous for playing comedic " blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as wel ...

and

Gene Autry Orvon Grover "Gene" Autry (September 29, 1907 – October 2, 1998), nicknamed the Singing Cowboy, was an American singer, songwriter, actor, musician, rodeo performer, and baseball owner who gained fame largely by singing in a crooning s ...

. On May 7, 1928, ''

The Arizona Republic ''The Arizona Republic'' is an American daily newspaper published in Phoenix. Circulated throughout Arizona, it is the state's largest newspaper. Since 2000, it has been owned by the Gannett newspaper chain. Copies are sold at $2 daily or at $3 ...

'' reported the death of Leone Jensen at the hotel. The article's headline read "Pretty blonde jumps from (the) San Carlos (hotel) early today." Based on what she wrote in her suicide note, it was believed the 22-year-old woman was physically abused by her boyfriend, a bellboy at the Westward Ho. Speculations have been made regarding whether Jensen was pregnant and/or her boyfriend was having an affair with another hotel worker. Because of these theories, the way she died is also debated. While most evidence pointed to suicide, others postulated she could have been pushed by her boyfriend or her boyfriend's other girlfriend. There have been numerous reports of sitings of Leone Jensen's ghost at the hotel. Another ghost frequently mentioned by hotel employees is a little girl, possibly around six to nine years old, who is rumored to visit hotel rooms at night and sit crying. Believers think she was probably one of the area children affected either by the school's closing or the flu epidemic. On December 9, 2004, yet another death occurred at the San Carlos, when an unidentified man jumped from the hotel's roof. The Hotel San Carlos in Phoenix, a member of

, a program of the

, underwent a $1-million remodel in 2003 and work continues on the historic boutique hotel. The hotel faces stiff competition from such five-star hotels as The Phoenician,

Arizona Biltmore Hotel The Arizona Biltmore Hotel is a resort located in Phoenix near 24th Street and Camelback Road. It is part of Hilton Hotels' Waldorf Astoria Hotels and Resorts. It was featured on the Travel Channel show ''Great Hotels.'' The Arizona Biltmore h ...

the

Ritz Carlton The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, LLC is an American multinational company that operates the luxury hotel chain known as The Ritz-Carlton. The company has 108 luxury hotels and resorts in 30 countries and territories with 29,158 rooms, in addit ...

, many

Hilton Hotels Hilton Hotels & Resorts (formerly known as Hilton Hotels) is a global brand of full-service hotels and resorts and the flagship brand of American multinational hospitality company Hilton. The original company was founded by Conrad Hilton. As ...

and the

Hyatt Regency Phoenix The Hyatt Regency Phoenix is a convention hotel in Downtown Phoenix, Arizona, United States. It is 317 feet (97 m) tall and has 24 floors. It was completed in 1976. The top floor has a revolving restaurant. It was designed by Charles Luckman ...

. However, as downtown Phoenix continues its dramatic growth the Hotel San Carlos remains a popular tourist destination in the heart of downtown Phoenix, six blocks from

Chase Field Chase Field, formerly Bank One Ballpark, is a retractable roof stadium in Downtown Phoenix, Arizona. It is the home of Major League Baseball's Arizona Diamondbacks. It opened in 1998 Arizona Diamondbacks season, 1998, the year the Diamondbacks ...

(home of the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The f ...

), five blocks from

Talking Stick Resort Arena Footprint Center (formerly known as America West Arena, US Airways Center, Talking Stick Resort Arena and Phoenix Suns Arena) is a multi-purpose arena in Phoenix, Arizona. Built in the regional population center of the southwestern United Sta ...

(home of the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Suns are the only team in t ...

), and less than three blocks from the

Dodge Theatre The Arizona Financial Theatre (formerly known as the Dodge Theatre, the Comerica Theatre and the Arizona Federal Theatre) is a multi-use theatre in Downtown Phoenix, Arizona. The venue seats 5,000 people. History Jerry Colangelo, longtime fo ...

, Symphony Hall Phoenix, Orpheum Theatre, the

Phoenix Convention Center The Phoenix Convention Center is an events venue in downtown Phoenix, Arizona located along East Monroe, East Washington, East Jefferson, North Second, North Third, and North Fifth Streets. It opened in 1972 and hosts national and regional conv ...

and the Herberger Performing Arts Center. The hotel can be briefly seen in the opening shot of

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...

's 1960 film '' Psycho'' as the camera pans the skyline of downtown Phoenix.

References

External links

Official Hotel San Carlos website
{{Authority control Hotels in Arizona Buildings and structures in Phoenix, Arizona Hotel buildings completed in 1928 1928 establishments in Arizona Hotel buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Arizona National Register of Historic Places in Phoenix, Arizona Renaissance Revival architecture in Arizona Historic Hotels of America

Legend

Historical facts

See also

References

External links