Jerome Grand Hotel is a historic hotel used in Jerome, Arizona. The motto of the hotel is "Arizona's historic high landmark"
Video Jerome Grand Hotel
History
Founded as United Verde Hospital
The Jerome Grand Hotel was originally built in 1926 under the name United Verde Hospital, owned by United Verde Copper Company (UVCC), which later became Phelps Dodge Mining Corporation. Some know of it as the Phelps Dodge Hospital and the United Verde Copper Hospital. It is the fourth and final hospital in Jerome. Opened in January 1927, the United Verde Hospital is a state-of-the-art medical facility; in 1930, was listed as the most modern and well-equipped hospital in Arizona and possibly in all western states. The hospital, however, closed in 1950, when mining operations began to close and medical services were available in neighboring Cottonwood communities, where many of the staff were moved. The building was not used for the next 44 years.
As Jerome Grand Hotel
The former hospital was purchased by Larry Altherr of Phelps Dodge Mining Corporation in 1994, and renamed the Jerome Grand Hotel, opened for business in 1996. Larry Altherr remains the owner.
Maps Jerome Grand Hotel
Structure
The Jerome Grand Hotel is renowned as the highest commercial building in the Verde Valley, at an altitude of 5240 feet above sea level. The hotel was built as a Style of Architectural Awakening Mission and is the last major building built in Jerome. The building is considered by many architectural works because, not only was it constructed of concrete poured in place, but also on a 50 degree slope in solid rocks, against the slopes of Mount Mingus. The 30,000-square-foot building was designed to be fireproof â € "not just a piece of wood that is in the frame â €" and also earthquake resistant, as it not only holds the anger of Mother Earth but also 260,000 pounds of dynamite explosion.
The Otis Elevator and Kewanee Boiler
The Otis Elevator, which was the first self-service elevator in Arizona, was installed at United Verde Hospital in 1926 and serves all five floors of the building. Lifts are regularly maintained and inspected, insuring safety for general use. The Otis elevator is different from the modern elevator because, designed for use in hospitals, it runs much more slowly, at a distance of only 50 feet per minute, rather than the usual 800 feet per minute found in multi-storey buildings.
The Kewanee Boiler cast iron, which was also installed in 1926, provided low-pressure steam throughout the building. The Kewanee boiler, designed for not only portable but also convertible, can operate on wood, coal or oil. When used during hospital days, the source is oil and has been converted to operate using natural gas, generating between 800,000 and 2,500,000 BTUs. Kewanee Boiler also uses a double pump feature, so it does not need to be turned off for maintenance or repair, ensuring consistent pressure and warmth throughout the building.
Hauntings
When operated as United Verde Hospital and later became the Jerome Grand Hotel, many ghost allegations have occurred. According to ghostlyfavorites.com, "Due to the high level of activity at the hotel, it is a pretty popular destination for amateur ghost hunters". Guests staying at the hotel were reported to hear coughing, panting, and even voices coming from empty rooms. Guests also reported the smell coming from the room, such as flowers, dust, cigar smoke, and whiskey. Others reported mild anomalies and television turned on without explanation.
Many guests and hotel staff have heard and seen what looks like 4 or 5 year olds running down the hall on the 3rd floor, sometimes crying or laughing. This child also likes to appear at the foot of the bed in various rooms, just staring at the occupant of the bed. Often, the sound of giggling and running occurs upstairs, as if the children were playing. Newborn crying sounds are common on the 3rd and 4th floors, as well as the faint smell of baby powder and zinc oxide. The baby cry had warned enough guests that they had called the front desk for concern; location becomes empty space.
Staff and guests often report bedside table lamps and television sets being released, shampoo bottles rolling on the floor or flying across the room. The sound of doors that open/close when the empty space is common. Guests have found electronic appliances such as cell phones and camcorders to die under the bed. Front desk staff, especially the cemetery, have reported hearing coughing and sneezing from the hotel laundry room, seeing shadows in the same area as they believe Claude Harvey, the hospital maintenance officer found dead on April 3, 1935, pinned under the Otis lift, killed. They looked and heard Claude scour the stairs and the boiler room as if it were still working. Many guests have reported seeing sightings of two women, one with a white dress, and one in nurse's clothes, and someone who appears to be a doctor or nurse, in a long lab coat carrying a clipboard, wandering the aisle. A Spirit Cat is a frequent visitor to the hotel. Its origin is unknown, the cat has heard meowing, hissing and scratching doors and walls. Both staff and guests had heard and felt the cats rubbing their feet and curled up on the bed. The most notable is the trail on the pedestal where the cat cuddles, which lined up moments earlier, smooth and straight. Photos, provided by guests staying at Rm 20 in 2008, showed the cat very clearly. This photo is still at the front desk.
During the days at the hospital, many deaths occur due to illness or injury, but also some rather suspicious things, such as the maintenance of Claude Harvey's men. Claude was found pinned at the back of the neck by the elevator, quite dead. A thorough examination of the elevators was done, as well as coronary inheritance checks, which determined the elevators were unlikely to cause Claude's death. No autopsies are allowed, or x-rays are taken, because the United Verde Copper Company, which owns the building, does not want suspicion to point toward them as an accident or intention. Claude's is the only death in the hospital whose cause has not been determined. Speculation is, Mr. Harvey was killed and his body placed in the elevator room, with his head hanging over the elevator pit, looked like an accident.
Only one other known death since the hospital closed in 1950, Manoah Hoffpauir, a local man hired by Phelps Dodge Mining Company to be present in an empty building, hopes to compensate for years of vandalism. Manoah is found hanging in a steam pipe at the Engineer's Office, where he lives while serving as a caretaker. His death, in 1982, was mastered by suicide. During his days as United Verde Hospital, an estimated 9000 deaths occurred.
See also
- List of historic properties in Jerome, Arizona
References
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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