Famous
as the inspiration behind the hotel in American Horror Story Season 5, Stay on
Main (previously known as The Cecil) is a budget hotel in Downtown Los Angeles.
Situated at 640 S. Main St, CA 90014, United States, Cecil was inaugurated in
1927 – few years before the Great Depression. The hotel has 19 floors and over
700 guest rooms. Due to its horrifying history, the hotel has been renovated and
remarketed several times. It has a couple of residential units and rooms.

Originally
built by William Banks Hanner, Charles L. Dix and Robert H. Schops in the year
1924 and constructed by W. W. Paden, the hotel budgeted around $1.5 million. It
was also designed by Loy Lester Smith, who found inspiration in the Beaux Arts
style and completed the marble lobby with stained glass windows. The lobby also
has potted palms and alabaster statuary.

The
owners of the hotel made a confident investment of $2.5 million as they were
acutely aware of the presence of similar hotels near the establishment. However,
after the United States of America found itself submerged in the Great
Depression, there was little to no means to restore its lost glory.

In
the 40s, the hotel found little popularity but soon faced a major decline due
to the increasing population in the area nearby – now known as Skid Row. By
2007, the hotel found a few changes when the owners took over the property and
by 2011, the hotel got rebranded as “Stay on Main” despite the fact that the
original website is still thececilhotel.com.

In
2014, the hotel was sold to Richard Born for $30 million, after which the Simon
Baron Development – a New York based firm – acquired a ground lease. It may
sound a bit ridiculous but— in 2016—Simon Baron tried to preserve the building
for its architectural value and for the historically significant components.
Maybe he wasn’t aware of the paranormal activities, because nobody would want
to be near it even for historical relevance.

During
this time, the company refurnished and changed the interior of the lobby. The
aim was to fix the hodgepodge work that was now considered outdated. Today, the
developers are keen on renovating the guest rooms, gym, rooftop, and the lounge
area. This project is set for completion in the year 2021.

The
hotel has earned popularity in the pop culture due to the strange accidents
that have happened here. Not just vile and despicable murders, but a large
number of suicides have been committed here. The place is known as the hub of
all that is criminal and morally corrupt.

Hence,
you’ll frequently hear about violent deaths and rape stories. The first suicide
that ever took place in this hotel was in 1931; a person named W. K. Norton
overdosed on poisonous capsules. In the following years, the number of suicides
increased rapidly and soon, the hotel earned a reputation of being the epicenter
of suicide.

Apart
from its violent history, the hotel has other disturbing relevance attached to
it. For example, it was once known to be the number one spot for adulterous
couples. Many sex workers found their feet in the hotel and there was also a
drug mafia that operated from the hotel.

In
1947, Black Dahlia went missing for days until she was found dead in the
compounds of the hotel. In 1964, Goldie Osgood was found raped and dead in one
of the hotel’s guest rooms; she was an occasional resident of this hotel.
Apparently, she was stabbed and beaten to death after which her room was also
ransacked. Again, the investigation of her murder never saw the light of day.

It
is said that many prominent serial killers operated from this hotel as well. If
rumors are to be believed, the heinous serial killer (The Night Stalker) stayed
at this hotel for a couple of weeks and was involved in a spree of murders
targeting three sex workers. He was eventually found responsible for them.

In
2013, Cecil landed itself in yet another drama when the clip of a university
student went viral. Elisa Lam went missing for a few days, after which her naked
body was discovered on the top of a water tank. In the video, there was some
kind of paranormal activity observed as she was speaking to a mysterious being
in the hallway and frighteningly pressing the buttons. It was obvious from the
video that even the elevator was malfunctioning at the time. Her body was
discovered after residents of the hotel complained about the water supply.

For
more mysterious stories related to The Cecil, like our
page on Facebook.

The
number of rooms: 299 and there is a casino as well. You can contact the front
desk for prices and booking, but do it at your own risk! Perhaps, don’t go to
the 14^th floor and others.