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 The aim was to fix the hodgepodge work that was now considered outdated.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.

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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.