HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena — as catalogued
A downtown Orlando pub operating in a building with a documented history as a neighborhood brothel, where a named spirit called Maximilian has been consistently reported by guides for over a decade
25 S Magnolia Ave, Orlando, FL 32801
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$
Irish pub with full bar and food menu; standard pub pricing
Access
Wheelchair OK
Ground-floor pub in a downtown Orlando commercial building
Equipment
Photos OK
Downtown Orlando Heritage · Local Ghost Tour Landmark
The Harp & Celt Irish Pub has occupied 25 S Magnolia Avenue in downtown Orlando for more than 15 years, positioning itself as an authentic Irish establishment serving lunch, dinner, and breakfast alongside a full bar and live soccer programming. The building sits in the historic downtown core near the Church Street district.
Local ghost tour tradition holds that the building previously operated as a neighborhood brothel, with a caretaker figure named Maximilian responsible for enforcing rules and protecting the women who worked there. Ghost tour operator Ting Rappa, who has run American Ghost Adventures tours through downtown Orlando, described the Harp & Celt as one of the most active locations on the tour circuit in a 2012 Click Orlando feature. Bar manager Whitney Brown confirmed in the same article that unexplained activity was familiar enough that staff had developed a working relationship with the building's reported presences.
The specific historical era in which the building operated as a brothel and the documentary basis for the claim have not been established in publicly available records. The building's transformation into a commercial Irish pub is the extent of its verified documented history.
Sources
Ghost tour operator Ting Rappa described Maximilian as a gentleman the tour has encountered repeatedly over more than ten years of visits to the Harp & Celt. The figure reportedly occupies a specific corner of the pub and shows a preference for female visitors, who tend to gravitate toward his location without apparent reason. Rappa characterized him as protective rather than threatening — a caretaker who enforced the rules of the building when it was allegedly operating as a brothel, and who has continued that function.
The clearest anecdotal evidence cited by Rappa came from a hiring episode: a new male tour guide, physically large, tripped and described being shoved by an invisible hand. Rappa later learned the man had a domestic violence record. In a separate incident, a female tour guide felt a man was invading her personal space; the man reported feeling a hand on his shoulder from behind. These accounts were described to Click Orlando in 2012.
Beyond Maximilian, bar staff have reported seeing a middle-aged woman — referred to as Frances — and a young boy in the building. The bar manager at the time of the 2012 coverage confirmed the staff had grown accustomed to unexplained occurrences and no longer found them alarming.
Notable Entities
The Harp & Celt has operated at 25 S Magnolia Avenue for over 15 years, serving Irish cuisine, a full bar, and soccer programming. The pub occupies a building that local oral tradition — and coverage by ghost tour operator American Ghost Adventures — associates with a former brothel, making it a regular stop on downtown Orlando ghost tours. Bar staff report unexplained occurrences through normal business hours.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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