Overnight Stay Booking Required
Stay Overnight in a Former Classroom
Spend the night in one of 57 hotel rooms converted from the school's classrooms, with original chalkboards and cloakrooms preserved.
- Duration:
- 12 hr
Museum / Historical Site
McMenamins Kennedy School
A 1915 northeast Portland elementary school converted by McMenamins into a hotel, restaurant, and brewpub, widely reputed to be haunted by a young boy seen in the former women's restroom.
5736 NE 33rd Ave, Portland, OR 97211
Wheelchair Accessible
Research-Backed · 3 sources
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$$
Hotel rooms moderately priced for Portland; restaurants, theater, and soaking pool at standard McMenamins rates.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Largely flat campus; renovated school building with elevator access to upper floors.
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1915 · Operated as a Portland Public Schools elementary 1915-1975 · Adaptive reuse by McMenamins beginning in 1997 · Neighborhood landmark in Concordia; site of community preservation effort
The Kennedy School building at 5736 NE 33rd Avenue was constructed in 1915 to serve the rapidly growing Concordia neighborhood of northeast Portland, on land sold to Portland Public Schools by John Daniel Kennedy in 1913. Designed in a brick Mission Revival style typical of early-twentieth-century Portland school construction, the building included classrooms, a gymnasium, a cafeteria, and an auditorium.
The school served as a neighborhood elementary for sixty years, finally closing in 1975 amid district consolidations. The building stood largely vacant and at risk of demolition through the late 1970s and 1980s; a community effort kept it from being torn down while uses for the property were debated.
In 1997, the McMenamins brothers purchased the building and led an adaptive-reuse renovation that converted classrooms into 57 hotel rooms (preserving original chalkboards, cloakrooms, and transom windows), turned the gymnasium into the Gym pub, the cafeteria into the Courtyard Restaurant, and the auditorium into a movie theater. The brewers also added a brewery on site and constructed a heated outdoor soaking pool in the former kindergarten play yard. McMenamins reopened the building to the public on October 22, 1997, with the original principal's bell ringing the start of its new life.
The property has operated continuously since as a hotel, gathering place, and neighborhood landmark, and in 2025 it marked 110 years since the building's original opening.
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kennedy_School
- https://www.mcmenamins.com/kennedy-school
- https://portlandtribune.com/2025/11/04/mcmenamins-kennedy-school-celebrates-110-years-of-portland-history-heres-how-to-join-in/
Apparition of a small, transparent boy in the women's restroomGuests waking around 2 a.m. to the sound of a small child crying with adults consoling himSensation of a small child jumping on the bed near guests' feetLess-common reports of an older female figure in former classroom hotel rooms
The Kennedy School's most-cited ghost story centers on a young boy reported in what is now the women's restroom (the former girls' restroom). According to McMenamins staff accounts collected on the company's 'Seen a Ghost?' blog, multiple guests and employees over the years have reported seeing a transparent boy walking in slow circles, occasionally described as dripping wet (McMenamins).
In hotel rooms, guests have reported waking in the early-morning hours, often around 2 a.m., to what sounds like a small child crying with the murmur of adult voices apparently trying to console him; other guests describe the unmistakable physical sensation of a small body jumping on the bed near the foot (VICE; Haunted Honeymoon). Most accounts collected by McMenamins describe the activity as gentle and child-like rather than threatening.
A second, less-prominent thread of lore involves an older female figure, sometimes described as a former teacher, reportedly seen in classrooms now converted to hotel rooms. Both threads are presented by McMenamins as collected staff and guest reports rather than verified history. Kennedy School appears on most Portland 'most haunted' lists and is a regular subject of regional ghost-tourism coverage, including VICE's 2018 feature on the property.
Notable Entities
Unnamed young boy (women's restroom)Unnamed former teacher figure (occasional)
Media Appearances
- VICE feature, 'This Portland Elementary School-Turned-Restaurant Is Haunted'
Plan Your Visit
2 ways to experience Dinner
Dinner in the Courtyard Restaurant
Eat in the school's restored dining hall and walk the converted gymnasium-turned-theater.
- Duration:
- 1.5 hr
Sources & Further Reading
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is McMenamins Kennedy School family-friendly?
Family-friendly hotel with a movie theater and soaking pool; ghost stories are mild and child-appropriate. Overall family fit: High.
How much does it cost to visit McMenamins Kennedy School?
Hotel rooms moderately priced for Portland; restaurants, theater, and soaking pool at standard McMenamins rates.
Do I need to book in advance?
No advance booking is required, but checking availability is recommended.
Is McMenamins Kennedy School wheelchair accessible?
Yes, McMenamins Kennedy School is wheelchair accessible. Terrain: Largely flat campus; renovated school building with elevator access to upper floors..