Jerome Grand Hotel

Jerome Grand Hotel
U.S. Historic district Contributing property
Location	Jerome, Jerome, Arizona
Coordinates	34°45′13″N 112°6′41″W / 34.75361°N 112.11139°W / 34.75361; -112.11139Coordinates: 34°45′13″N 112°6′41″W / 34.75361°N 112.11139°W / 34.75361; -112.11139
Governing body	Local
Part of	Jerome Historic District (#66000196[1])
Added to NRHP	November 13, 1966

The Jerome Grand Hotel is a historic hotel that is in use in Jerome, Arizona. The hotel's motto is "Arizona's mile high historic landmark"

History

Founding as the United Verde Hospital

The Jerome Grand Hotel was originally constructed in 1926 under the name of the United Verde Hospital. Opened in 1927, the United Verde Hospital became in 1930 the most modern and well equipped hospital in Arizona and in possibly in all of the western states. The hospital, however was closed in 1950, as the mining operations started to peeter out. The building stood unused for the next 44 years until the rehabilitation plans began in 1994.

As the Jerome Grand Hotel

The former hospital was purchased by the Altherr family from the Phelps Dodge Mining Corporation in 1994, and was renamed the Jerome Grand Hotel. As the rehabilitation program began, no large changes were made to the building except for the enclosure of the roof top deck

Structure

The Jerome Grand Hotel is well noted to be one of the highest buildings in the Verde Valley, being at a height of 5240 feet above sea level. The hotel was built as a Mission Revival Style of architecture and was the last major building to be constructed in Jerome. The building was a masterpiece of architecture because at the time of mining, the building was fireproof and could withstand the blasts of 260,000 pounds of dynamite. The building is considered an engineering masterpiece because of its five story building, reinforced concrete walls, and 50 degree sloped terrain.

The Otis Elevator and the Kewanee Boiler

The Otis Elevator, which was first self-service elevator, was installed in the Jerome Grand Hotel in 1926. The elevator serviced all five floors of the hotel. The elevator is regularly inspected by officials to be sure there is no faulty equipment and that it is safe for public use. This elevator is different from modern elevators because it travels at 50 feet per minute, rather than the normal 800 feet per minute found on high rise buildings. The Kewanee Boiler, which was installed in the hotel in 1926, provided low pressure steam to all of the rooms in the hotel. The Kewanee boiler is fired up by natural gas, and can produce between 800,000 and 2,500,000 BTUs. The Kewanee Boiler also utilizes a dual pump figure, so if a worker needs to repair one of the pumps, the other one can still function without having to be shut off.

Hauntings

After the United Verde Hospital became the Jerome Grand Hotel, many alleged hauntings began to occur. According to ghostlyfavorites.com. "Due to the high level of activity in the hotel, it is a quite popular destination for amateur ghost hunters". Guests that have stayed at the hotel reported to hear coughing, labored breathing, and even voices coming from empty rooms. Guests also reported smells coming from rooms, such as flowers, dust, cigar smoke, and whiskey. Others report light anomalies and the television sets turning themselves on with no explanation. Two guests have also reported seeing the apparitions of two ladies, one in a white gown, and another one in a nurses outfit. Many deaths have been reported at the site, including the death of Claude Harvey, who was crushed to death by an elevator, the suicides of two maintenance people, both by hanging, and the deaths of many patients during the United Verde Hospital stage of the hotel. The hotel was featured on TV shows, such as Ghost Adventures and Paranormal Challenge.

References