Est. 1924 · Serial Killer History · Downtown LA History · True Crime Landmark
The Cecil Hotel opened on December 20, 1924, designed by architect Loy Lester Smith in Beaux-Arts/Art Deco style. The 700-room, 14-story building cost approximately $1.5 million and was intended to serve the mid-range business travel market in downtown Los Angeles.
As downtown LA declined through the mid-20th century and the surrounding area became part of what is now called Skid Row, the Cecil transitioned to serving long-term residents, low-budget travelers, and eventually a population with limited alternatives. Beginning in the 1930s, the hotel became associated with a series of deaths and violent incidents. In 1931, a guest named W.K. Norton died of poison capsules. In 1964, longtime resident Goldie Osgood, known as Pigeon Goldie, was found raped, stabbed, and beaten in her room; the murder was never solved.
In the 1980s, serial killer Richard Ramirez — the Night Stalker, convicted in 1989 of 13 murders — stayed at the Cecil for several weeks while committing crimes across Los Angeles. He was arrested on August 30, 1985. In 1991, Austrian serial killer Jack Unterweger stayed at the hotel while posing as a journalist covering LA's sex worker murder cases; he is believed to have killed at least three women during that stay.
In January 2013, Canadian student Elisa Lam, 21, was found dead in a rooftop water cistern. The Los Angeles County coroner ruled her death an accidental drowning and noted that she had bipolar disorder. Her death gained wide attention after elevator surveillance footage was released publicly.
In December 2021, the Cecil was converted to a 600-unit affordable housing complex operated by the Skid Row Housing Trust. The owners listed the property for sale in late 2024. As of 2026, the building is closed to the public.
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cecil_Hotel_(Los_Angeles)
- https://www.californiacitynews.org/2026/03/los-angeles-infamous-cecil-hotel-turned-affordable-housing.html
- https://laist.com/news/how-the-hotel-cecil-went-from-a-luxury-stay-to-one-of-las-most-haunted-buildings
ApparitionsCold spotsPhantom soundsDisembodied voices
The Cecil's haunting reputation built across decades of documented violent deaths — not paranormal investigation results. Accounts from former staff and guests describe temperature drops, figures seen at the end of hallways, sounds with no source. These claims are consistent with the hotel's general reputation rather than specific witnessed events tied to named individuals.
The 2017 Netflix documentary series 'Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel' renewed interest in the building's history and drew attention to the pattern of deaths there. The series focused primarily on documented criminal history rather than paranormal claims.
Ghost-tour operators who covered the Cecil prior to its conversion noted the sheer number of documented violent and unexplained deaths as the foundation of the building's atmosphere. The hotel is no longer accessible for any kind of guided visit; it is private residential housing as of 2021. The history is not going anywhere — it is documented in news archives, court records, and the Wikipedia article — but the building itself is closed.
Media Appearances
- Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel (Netflix documentary series, 2021)
