A 1925 Colonial Revival landmark in downtown Roanoke — now apartments and a restaurant — where an unsolved 1980s murder in Room 606 left a record of persistent paranormal reports.
617 S Jefferson St, Roanoke, VA 24011
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
Restaurant in former lobby open to public; residential and office portions are private. Check website for dining hours.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Downtown paved streets; building has elevator access
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1925 · National Register of Historic Places · Virginia Landmarks Register · Roanoke Downtown Historic District · Colonial Revival Architecture (William Lee Stoddart)
Roanoke's growth as a railroad hub following the Civil War created persistent demand for quality lodging. In 1923, local business leader William Wise Boxley chartered The Hotel Corporation and selected architect William Lee Stoddart, known for upscale hotel design, to design the Patrick Henry. The 300-room Colonial Revival building opened on November 10, 1925, with over 2,000 people in attendance.
The hotel operated under several management companies over the following decades, including Meyer Hotels of Birmingham through 1954. After a 1961 auction, the American Hotel Corporation took over until 1968, followed by the Monterey Corporation, which converted rooms to a mix of hotel and apartment units. In 1990, Affirmative Equities of New York purchased the property and rebranded it under the Radisson name after a $3 million renovation.
The building was fully closed by 2007 and condemned due to fire code violations. After foreclosure in 2009, Potomac Realty Capital purchased the property and undertook a rehabilitation, restoring the building to a mix of apartments, office space, and a restaurant in the former lobby — now operating as The Patrick Henry. The building is listed on both the National Register of Historic Places and the Virginia Landmarks Register and is a contributing structure in the Roanoke Downtown Historic District.
In the early 1980s, during the building's hotel-operating period, a young woman who worked as a flight attendant was murdered in Room 606. She was stabbed to death and her body placed in the bathtub. The killer was never identified. Police believed the attacker was known to the victim and had hidden in the room. The case remains unsolved.
Sources
The History Museum of Western Virginia's 2015 publication on Roanoke ghosts, drawing on L.B. Taylor Jr.'s 'Haunted Roanoke,' documents several categories of phenomena at the Patrick Henry. Room 606, associated with the unsolved 1980s murder, has generated the most consistent reports: guests staying in the room describe lights that flicker without electrical explanation, cold spots that move through the room, and footsteps when the floor above is empty. Multiple accounts describe an apparition — attributed to the murder victim — touching or pressing down on sleeping guests.
Separate from Room 606, the former ballroom area has produced its own reports. Staff and guests describe hearing the sounds of a party in progress — laughter, clinking glasses, silverware — when the space is unoccupied. Apparitions of people seated at tables have been observed, with one account describing a phantom guest appearing to kick at the bottom of a tablecloth before disappearing.
A third, less well-documented phenomenon involves a figure described as an older male presence, associated with pipe smoke, reportedly seen on the second floor. Colonial Ghosts, a regional paranormal tour operator that documents the building's history, notes the concentration of reported activity across multiple floors and decades.
The former hotel lobby has been converted to The Patrick Henry restaurant, giving the public access to one of the building's original grand spaces. The Colonial Revival exterior is notable on the Roanoke Downtown Historic District streetscape. The building is listed on both the National Register of Historic Places and the Virginia Landmarks Register.
Colonial Ghosts, a regional paranormal tour operator, documents the Patrick Henry Hotel's history including the Room 606 murder and subsequent paranormal reports. Check their website for current Roanoke tour availability.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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