Overnight Stay Booking Required
Stay Overnight in a Former Classroom
Book a room in the converted 1936 schoolhouse, then use the pub, brewery, movie theater, and heated soaking pool on the same downtown campus.
- Duration:
- 12 hr
No photograph
on file
Est. 1936on file
HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena, as catalogued
- 01Apparition of a boy riding a bicycle through the halls at night
- 02Sounds of children running on an upper floor
- 03Lights and fixtures turning on and off
- 04Reports of a strong unseen presence in a restroom
Haunted Hotel / Inn
McMenamins Old St. Francis School
A 1936 Catholic schoolhouse turned McMenamins hotel and brewpub in downtown Bend, with guest reports of a boy on a bicycle and children's footsteps overhead.
700 NW Bond St, Bend, OR 97703
Wheelchair Accessible
Research-Backed · 5 sources
Research updated September 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$$
Hotel rooms at standard McMenamins rates; pub, brewery, theater, and soaking pool open to the public.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Renovated former school campus on flat downtown blocks.
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1936 · Opened 1936 as the first Catholic parochial school in Central Oregon · Parish school relocated to a new campus in 2000 · Reopened in 2004 as a McMenamins hotel, brewpub, and theater
St. Francis School opened in 1936 in downtown Bend as the first Catholic parochial school in Central Oregon, attached to St. Francis of Assisi parish. For more than six decades it provided Catholic education to Bend children, with the Sisters of St. Francis among the teaching staff over the years.
In 2000, the parish school relocated to a new campus elsewhere in Bend, leaving the original schoolhouse and adjacent buildings empty. The complex was a downtown landmark, and its fate drew local attention while reuse was considered.
McMenamins, the Oregon chain known for converting historic buildings into hotels and brewpubs, purchased the property and led an adaptive-reuse renovation. The company reopened the site in 2004 as McMenamins Old St. Francis School, converting classrooms into hotel rooms and adding a pub, an on-site brewery, a movie theater, event and meeting space, and a heated outdoor soaking pool.
The property has operated continuously since, and in 2024 McMenamins and local press marked twenty years of the hotel. It remains one of downtown Bend's best-known historic buildings and a regular stop on the city's ghost-tour and haunted-history programming.
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_St._Francis_School
- https://www.mcmenamins.com/old-st-francis-school
- https://bendbulletin.com/2024/11/04/cheers-to-20-years-of-mcmenamins-old-st-francis-school-in-bend/
- https://bendmagazine.com/where-to-find-the-real-haunted-houses-of-bend/
- https://thebroadsideonline.com/5305/news/is-someone-watching-you-guests-feel-strong-presence-at-bends-mcmenamins/
Apparition of a boy riding a bicycle through the halls at nightSounds of children running on an upper floorLights and fixtures turning on and offReports of a strong unseen presence in a restroom
The best-known story at Old St. Francis centers on children. As reported by The Source Weekly and Bend Magazine, guests and employees describe a young boy seen riding a bicycle through the halls after dark, and others say they hear children running and playing on a floor above them even where the original school is a single story.
Reports collected by local outlets and the campus's own staff also describe lights, fans, and other fixtures in guest rooms turning on and off on their own despite updated wiring, and a men's restroom door said to open and close by itself. Multiple women over the years have described a strong sense of being watched in a women's restroom, an account that appears in The Broadside's reporting on the property.
McMenamins, which keeps an internal record of guest and staff ghost reports across its renovated buildings, presents these as collected stories rather than verified events. The Old St. Francis School appears on Wikipedia's list of reportedly haunted Oregon locations and is a recurring stop on Bend ghost tours and the Deschutes County Historical Society's Halloween-season walks.
Notable Entities
Unnamed young boy on a bicycleUnnamed children heard running upstairs
Media Appearances
- Reportedly haunted locations in Oregon (Wikipedia, ongoing)
- Where to Find the Real Haunted Houses of Bend (news feature, Bend Magazine)
Plan Your Visit
2 ways to experience Dinner
Pub and Soaking Pool Visit
Eat and drink in the brewpub and walk the grounds without an overnight stay; the soaking pool and theater are open to the public.
- Duration:
- 2 hr
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Sources & Further Reading
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
- 1.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_St._Francis_School
- 2.mcmenamins.com/old-st-francis-school
- 3.bendbulletin.com/2024/11/04/cheers-to-20-years-of-mcmenamins-old-st-francis-school-in-bend
- 4.bendmagazine.com/where-to-find-the-real-haunted-houses-of-bend
- 5.thebroadsideonline.com/5305/news/is-someone-watching-you-guests-feel-strong-presence-at-bends-mcmenamins
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is McMenamins Old St. Francis School family-friendly?
Family-friendly McMenamins property with a movie theater and soaking pool; the ghost stories center on a child and are mild. Overall family fit: High.
How much does it cost to visit McMenamins Old St. Francis School?
Hotel rooms at standard McMenamins rates; pub, brewery, theater, and soaking pool open to the public.
Do I need to book in advance?
No advance booking is required, but checking availability is recommended.
Is McMenamins Old St. Francis School wheelchair accessible?
Yes, McMenamins Old St. Francis School is wheelchair accessible. Terrain: Renovated former school campus on flat downtown blocks..