San Francisco Ghosts

10. Hotel Union Square

San Francisco, CA

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The next stop on our list escaped the great earthquake as it was built a few years after the disaster. The hotel, situated in a central shopping district in the heart of San Francisco, was built in 1913 for the Pan Pacific Exposition that was to be held in 1915. The hotel first opened as the Golden West Hotel. Several celebrities stayed at the hotel, most notably the mystery writer, Dashiell Hammett, known for writing The Maltese Falcon and The Thin Man. Hammett often frequented the hotel and today there is a suite named after him. One reason why the writer stayed at the hotel so often was to visit Lillian Hellman, a play writer and screenwriter known for The Children's Hour. The two writers fell in love with each other and had an affair that lasted several decades until Hammett's death in 1961. Many times the two would meet at the Hotel Union Square to carry out their love affair. During prohibition, the hotel was the site of a speakeasy. Speakeasies were illegal establishments where people whispered a password to be allowed in and served alcohol. The speakeasy was called the Golden Bubble and was located underneath the hotel. Today the area is used as storage; however, the original floor and wallpaper are still visible. With such a rich history, it is the history of the love affair between the two American writers that get ghost seekers excited. Room 207 is the room where guests claim Hellman's ghost resides, waiting for her lover to join her in their hotel room. There have been reports of the bathroom door opening and closing throughout the night, and even the appearance of a woman. Lillian Hellman passed away in 1984, however since the hotel was purchased by Personality Hotels in the early 1980 and renamed the Hotel Union Square in 1982, Hellman has returned, waiting for Hammett.