The 1929 Leopold Hotel tower in downtown Bellingham — named for the Olympia Brewing founder who died in the building in 1914 — reopened in 2019 as Hotel Leo, with documented child voices, a self-turning doorknob, and an immersive escape-room adventure in the historic halls.
1224 Cornwall Ave, Bellingham, WA 98225
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$$
Hotel room rates vary; promotional discounts available for advance booking and weekday stays. Unlock the Hotel Leo experience booked separately through LockBreaker Escapes.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Historic hotel with elevator access. Note: Unlock the Hotel Leo escape experience is currently not ADA accessible.
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1929 · Site has housed a hotel since 1899 (Byron House Hotel) · Leopold F. Schmidt — Olympia Brewing founder — purchased hotel in 1910 for $100,000 · Schmidt died in the hotel September 24, 1914; property renamed Leopold Hotel in his honor · Current 9-story tower built 1929 by H.L. Stevens and Company · Founding member of Western Hotels 1930 · Added to National Register of Historic Places February 19, 1982 · Reopened as Hotel Leo November 2019
The block at 1224 Cornwall Avenue has housed a hotel since 1899, when Captain Josiah B. Byron opened the Byron House Hotel with 93 rooms. The property changed hands in 1910 when Leopold F. Schmidt — a brewmaster who had founded the Bellingham Bay Brewery and the Olympia Brewing Company — purchased the hotel for $100,000. Schmidt expanded the property significantly, adding a 200-room wing that opened in May 1913, bringing the total to one of Bellingham's largest lodging operations.
Schmidt died in the hotel on September 24, 1914. His manager and the hotel's investors renamed the property the Leopold Hotel as a tribute. The hotel became a founding member of Western Hotels on August 27, 1930, a Pacific Northwest chain affiliation that lasted until 1969.
The current 9-story tower at the site was built in 1929 by San Francisco architects H.L. Stevens and Company, replacing the original Byron-era structure. A 4-story motel wing was added in 1967, replacing the 1913 addition. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on February 19, 1982. After a period as a retirement home in the 1980s, the property closed in December 2018 and underwent restoration.
Hotel Leo opened in November 2019 with 31 rooms in the motel wing and nine rooms in the historic tower. During restoration, workers discovered a cryptic letter under the original foundation, said to be from a secret society — the basis for the hotel's Unlock the Hotel Leo immersive experience.
Sources
The haunting documentation at Hotel Leo is more systematic than at most hotels: the property maintains a blog dedicated to collecting incident accounts from staff and guests, and a local paranormal investigation team conducted a formal EVP session in the building.
The most-cited incident involves the ballroom: an employee working late heard distinct children's laughter and the sound of running footsteps from the empty room. On investigation the room was vacant. A separate employee reported hearing loud moaning near the Rose Room with no visible source, accompanied by a localized cold spot.
In the basement and second-floor bathrooms, multiple incidents have been logged: a locked bathroom doorknob on the second floor was witnessed turning 180 degrees from the inside while the room was confirmed empty; a plumbing crew encountered what appeared to be someone entering a second-floor restroom, which proved empty on inspection; toilets have flushed and lights turned on in the retail shop level without apparent cause.
The most specific piece of documented audio evidence came from a local paranormal investigation team working in a defunct restroom: their equipment captured what they described as an irritated voice saying "Watch it, you cow" — a recording cited in the hotel's own blog account of the investigation.
A woman's apparition has been reported at the ballroom window, visible from outside the building. The hotel's own materials treat these accounts as genuine incidents rather than marketing fabrications.
Stay in the restored 1929 Leopold Hotel tower or the 1967 motel wing. The hotel maintains original lobby and ballroom spaces, and the on-site Amendment 21 bar is named for the repeal of Prohibition.
A hybrid tour and escape-room experience for groups up to 8, set throughout the working hotel. Participants investigate a cryptic letter discovered under the original foundation during renovations, said to be from a secret society. Run independently by LockBreaker Escapes; not ADA accessible.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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