Ghosts of Facilities Past: Haunting Tales of Neglected Buildings

As Halloween knocks at our doors, beware: there are haunted old hotels, hospitals and schools lurking in our communities. These frightening facilities haven’t been maintained in years and the facilities teams that walked their halls are long-gone, but if they were still around, they would have benefited from instant access to building and equipment information from mobile devices to accelerate emergency responsiveness, knowledge capture and preventive maintenance.

In 1897, Old Tooele Hospital started out as a family house. In 1913, it was transformed into what was known as the Country Poor Hospital, where the elderly and those who had special needs were taken care of. By 1953, the building had changed once again into the Old Tooele Hospital which featured improved accommodation for patients. Before it closed in 2001, the hospital made its name by being the filming spot for Stephen King’s The Stand.

New York is the city that never sleeps, making it an ideal playground for folks seeking a long night in the company of ghosts. Hotel Chelsea in Manhattan has become infamous for its long history of artistic crises and stories of dramatic demise. The hotel was originally constructed in the late 19th century as a utopian co-op residence, designed to promote self-sufficiency and the arts. Although initially successful, the concept and the building fell into disrepair in the early 20th century following several mortal incidents where the outcome resulted in the former guests staying behind — for generations.

Lincoln High School in Sioux Falls, South Dakota opened in 1965. It's also claimed to be a highly haunted school, and students, teachers, and janitors have reported paranormal activities.

Eyewitnesses have experienced:

• Footsteps in the hallway when nobody is present.
• The sound of keys jiggling behind them, but no one is there.
• A 10-foot tall man in a trench coat floats six feet off the stage floor and then fades away.
• Knocking and banging sounds in the basement and boiler room when all equipment is shut down.

We’ve also compiled a list of the scariest places in every facility:

• The Plan Room: Typically located far from everything else, the plan room contains the ghosts of every renovation and remodel, piled high in boxes, rolled up and tagged or buried in folders.
• The Basement: We don’t know anyone who isn’t afraid of their basement. Basements are dark, there are spiders, and there are always strange sounds coming out of ancient equipment. In schools, basements store old desks, science projects and off-season holiday decorations. In hospitals, basements are the home to broken furniture, beds, and other things no one wants.
• The Roof: Just climbing up the ladder to reach the roof makes many of us shiver with fear. Then, once you get to the rooftop, it’s windy, things are shaking, and you can see how far up you are.

If you want to take the mystery out of your facility and make access to critical building information in the field a reality, then this Halloween consider augmenting your Facility Management Software toolbox at your facility. Dare to request a demo today.