Inside abandoned Niagara Falls hotel where JFK & Sinatra partied in grand ballroom & Marilyn Monroe filmed iconic movie
The interior of the shuttered Grand Hotel Niagara, one of New York’s most recognizable monuments, is shown in EERIE photos.
Before it closed, the opulent hotel attracted celebrities including Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe, and US President John F. Kennedy. However, fifty years later, it remains stagnant.
With its herringbone floors, ancient wallpaper, and gold pillars, the Grand Hotel Niagara has been abandoned to rust.
The opulent crystal chandelier is still hanging, but the ballroom, which formerly held sumptuous gatherings and star-studded parties, appears utterly empty.
Many of the old carpets are covered in grime and paint that has chipped off the walls.
Completely empty areas are devoid of any furnishings or décor to occupy the available space.
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With some of the tiles torn from the floor and plastic sheets trying to cover the pipes, even what purports to be the kitchen looks apocalyptic.
Photographer Matthew Christopher, who runs Abandoned America, was among those who investigated the dilapidated hotel.
The urban explorer was allowed to shoot spooky pictures inside the dilapidated hotel.
“The Hotel Niagara is a stunning structure and a breathtaking sight to behold,” he told The Sun.
“I will confess that I was disappointed that the upper floors had been so thoroughly stripped, and the lower ones, while beautiful, were a bit of a jumble of tools and equipment.”
Frank A. Dudley, a businessman from Niagara Falls, constructed the hotel in 1924.
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Renowned Buffalo architects Esenwein and Johnson created the hotel, which is 12 floors tall and has a steel frame and concrete.
The ballroom and stairways, which retain part of their past through their patterns and colors, were characterized by Matthew as “gorgeous” to see.
The main public areas of the opulent hotel, which has around 200 guest rooms and convention facilities, include a large lobby, ballroom, and main dining area.
Matthew also discussed its “amazing history” and how it attracted well-known historical individuals from all around the world.
It is reported that Joe Dimaggio and Marilyn Monroe stayed there in 1952 while the motion picture “Niagara” was being filmed.
Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. were among the celebrities that stayed at the opulent Grand Niagara Hotel during the time.
However, a fall started in the middle of the 20th century as a result of Niagara’s diminished significance and economic problems.
According to reports, the facility was supposed to be renovated in 2007, but it stayed the same for years.
After its parent company filed for bankruptcy, the property was purportedly abandoned by its owners, Amidee Hotels & Resorts, allowing it to go into foreclosure.
The Niagara Falls Department of Code Enforcement even condemned the building when water pipes ruptured due to a malfunctioning heating system.
After the event, irate city personnel turned off the water, leaving the building without a working fire sprinkler system or running water.
Numerous investors have unsuccessfully attempted to take over the Grand Niagara Hotel throughout the years.
A developer who has restored other historic hotels most recently did so in 2019.
An astounding $42 million was projected to be spent on this amazing repair, which would have even benefited from millions in federal and state tax incentives.
It was scheduled to debut in 2021, but the terrible economic effects of the Covid-19 pandemic caused it to halt.
The same developer and business had to start over when they submitted designs in June 2024 to repair the amazing structure for $50 million, which was $8 million more than they had in 2021.
Because of how “striking” the property is, Matthew expressed his hope that the restoration plans “will be successful”.
Reopening it, he claimed, would “help a lot in revitalizing the area”.
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It’s a huge structure, and Niagara Falls has been gradually recovering from economic destruction,” the photographer continued.
“I think because of the work that has already been done perhaps this would make the rest easier to achieve.”
Inside the bullet-riddled bay of abandoned hotels where stars have filmed
The eerie remains of a posh hotel complex that was once teeming with visitors are perched by Croatia’s glittering waters.
However, as its bullet-riddled walls collapse and contain nothing but rubble and graffiti, the resort now serves as a spooky background for sun worshippers and even movies.
Situated in Kupari town, a short distance from Dubrovnik’s bustling beaches, the eerie structure is scarred by Croatia’s war history.
The ruins, however, have not only been seen by tourists but also filmed for the upcoming biopic Lee, which is about famous World War II Vogue journalist Lee Miller.
It was one of the locations used for the Kate Winslet and Jude Lawshot sequences in Croatia last September, according to local media.
The site has a number of hotels that can host thousands of people, including Pelegrin, Goricine I, Goricine II, Kupari, and Galeb, with the Grand Hotel serving as its focal point.
After a visionary Czech businessman saw the region’s tourism potential, the Grand Hotel opened its doors in 1919.
A number of other hotels, mostly funded by the military, sprung up surrounding it between the 1960s and the 1980s.
The Yugoslavian leader Josip Broz Tito even had his private residence there, and it later became a major attraction for the military elite and their families.
Normal vacationers found it increasingly difficult to secure spots at the hotel, since rooms were frequently reserved for persons with military ties.
However, the Yugoslav People’s Army bombed their own valuable vacation project in an attempt to drive away the Croatian army when the Balkan conflict broke out in the 1990s.
After that, they severely damaged the formerly luxurious hotels by setting off phosphorous bombs and robbing the rooms.
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