The Historic San Carlos Hotel August 14, 2007

From the penthouse that stands on the roof of the seven-story tall Hotel San Carlos in Phoenix, one can get a unique perspective on Copper Square. DowntownPhoenix has changed radically since the hotel was built in 1928. When the hotel opened, it was a luxurious oasis in the desert, featuring air-cooled rooms, a predecessor of modern air-conditioning. At that time it was also the tallest building, which featured the first elevator in Phoenix. These days about all you can see from the penthouse is the other high-rise buildings towering overhead. Seventy-five years ago however, from this rooftop, you could see the young city of Phoenix rising from the ashes of this old Hohokam settlement.

On May 7, 1928, the Arizona Republic reported the death of Leone Jensen. The article’s headline read “Pretty blonde jumps from (the) San Carlos (hotel) early today”. Based on what she wrote on her death note, it could be assumed that the 22 year old woman was physically abused by her boyfriend, a bellboy at the Westward Ho. Speculations have been made as to 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 – a frist for Phoenix, many have said that she could have been pushed off by her boyfriend or her boyfriend’s other girlfriend.

Ever since that night, guests of the Hotel San Carlos have reported many sightings of her ghost. Typically, she is seen as the “white cloud of a woman’s figure, accompanied by unexplainable breezes”. While some guests may find the idea of the hotel being haunted either exciting or frightening, it has become an accepted responsibility for working at the hotel. For example, the housekeeping staff are so superstitious that they refuse to work on a floor alone; it has become standard procedure now that they work in teams of two or three, no matter what floor they work on. Leone is probably the most famous permanent resident of the San Carlos, but she is by no means the only ghost. Another ghost frequently mentioned by hotel employees is that of a little girl, possibly around six to nine years old, who is rumored to visit hotel rooms at night and sit crying. Guests have also reported hearing the sounds of at least three or four children running up and down the hallways, laughing and playing. The story of these children can be traced to a history before the hotel was built, but I shall take a moment and go even further into our prehistory.

Jumping backwards in time roughly 400 years, the Native American tribe known to us today as the Hohokam, made the Rio Salado valley their home. In the heart of this valley, an underground countercurrent water spring provided refreshment to the tribe. The natives worshipped their god of Knowledge and Learning at this spot. They believed that from this spring came mahchig, or great knowledge. Whatever great wisdom they gleaned there however was lost when the tribe was forced to move on. It was the modern Pima tribes who named them huhugam, or “those who have gone.”

Fast forward again to the early settlement of Phoenix, this very same spring was re-discovered and tapped with a well. Phoenix’s very first schoolhouse was built on this site in 1874, with this well water providing refreshment to a new generation of students. It was a one-room adobe building with a dirt floor, but it served the humble forefathers of our town well. Five years later, in 1879, that building was replaced with a two-story brick building – only the fourth brick building in Phoenix. At that time, it was the northernmost building along Center Street, now known as Central Avenue. In 1893, the brick schoolhouse was expanded to sixteen rooms.

It was at some time during the late 1890’s that we have different accounts of three or four boys drowning in the well. The school building was eventually declared unsafe, condemned, and the property put up for sale in 1916. Could these be the boys who can still be heard playing in the hallways of the Hotel San Carlos?

This very special well is still in use today; it resides in the basement of the Hotel San Carlos. It serves as the sole source of water to the guests of the hotel. The San Carlos is the only building in Phoenix that is not part of the city’s water supply. Even today, hotel guests remark to the staff about the high quality of the cool, refreshing water that comes from the original, antique brass fixtures in their rooms.

The penthouse that resides on the roof has a very interesting story of its own to tell. Charles Harris owned half of the hotel, and also managed it with his wife Elsie and their two sons. Mr. Harris had the penthouse built on the roof for his family to live in. When Charles Harris died in 1946 of natural causes, the hotel went into his family trust. The Harris family moved out and let the trust take over management of the hotel. The original intention was to rent the penthouse out to VIP guests, including some of the many Hollywood actors who frequented the hotel. However, to this day, the penthouse has never and will never be rented out. Yet, work is always being done to maintain it. Electricity is still supplied to it, and it is kept air-conditioned. An expensive proposition to say the least, especially if there are no living guests staying in the penthouse.

All told, the Hotel San Carlos is a wonderful break from the bustle of Downtown Phoenix. It is still a well-appointed hotel, with fine amenities, including a sun deck and swimming pool on the third floor. It has recently been added to the charter of hotels listed by the Historic Hotels of America. Its Italian Renaissance-influenced architecture, and original antique fixtures, put it in a class by itself.

[Above article taken from
http://www.acrimony.org/article_haunted_history.php, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hotel_San_Carlos_(Phoenix) and http://www.hotelsancarlos.com/history.html]

Next Meeting August 9, 2007

Sunday, August 12th, 4:30 pm at Amsterdam!

We have a pretty important agenda. Among the highlights:

• Logo
• Meeting times and places
• Marketing and membership
• Vision statement

Looking forward to seeing you there! Let us know if we should expect to see you to make sure we save a spot at the table for you.