I came, I saw, I felt ALL THE FEELS!!! What an absolute pleasure it was to tour the inside, rooftop, and basement of the Hollywood Knickerbocker building.
Frankly, I wish I had recorded the whole tour but I chose to take it in as I was there and observed everything around me more than I had my phone out...
However, I did get a few of these cool videos.
When I walked in I quickly wanted to go upstairs to the roof. I particularly wanted to see if the stairwell gave me those same weird feelings, it didn't...
However, I wanted to see everything that is still the same and learn about what has changed. The doorknobs with original skeleton keyholes are the same.
Thie closet is right next to the door that leads out on the roof. It controls the Knickerbocker neon sign.
At the beginning of the video, you can see where the phone once was on the wall.
I was under the impression that upstairs had a lounge but was informed that the roof was never used as an entertainment space. There was a phone up there once and Elvis did use it to get whatever he needed while on his shoot on the roof but the roof never had chairs and tables for guests to relax on.
Those pegs that stick out from the ground were also there.. very cool.
The video shows what used to be Elvis Presley's room. It has since been converted to two rooms. The doorway was once the front door.
The photo below is a view from the roof looking at the top window row that Irene threw herself off of. I believe it was the 5th window.
I headed back down to the main lobby to see the infamous bathroom that is apparently haunted by a blonde bombshell...
look down by the baseboards, you can see to the right of the door was another door that was recently boarded up. The door that reads "Janitorial Room" is actually the bathroom that was once the main lobby bathroom that was used during Old Hollywood. Directly across from the bathroom was a service elevator.
Want to see inside the bathroom?? It's been updated but the floors are still original. The layout is similar to the original style with the exception that a toilet was removed from the right side of the room and a urinal was installed.. to the left of the urinal is a toilet as well.
Now let's go downstairs....to the basement.
The basement was really confusing for me and I didn't know my right from left and where I was going or where I would end up but it was definitely a really cool place. Down in the basement, it felt a little strange. I was informed that it is the most "active" spot for feeling uneasy and does indeed feel as if someone is watching you. Stored away down in the most active area in the basement is the only remaining furniture piece from the lobby when the hotel opened. Believe it or not, I was offered the piece but my better instinct reminded me it was a remaining article left behind for a reason and it was also in the creepiest part of the basement.. could some type of energy be stuck to it? Either way, no thank you, its not a hard No Thank You but a regretful No Thank You..
These video is loud, I apologize in advance. The equipment down in the basement is loud and the sound echos and travels...
I was told this box that was bolted to the ground was a clothes washer. Very interesting to have it down in the basement but also understandable as the hotel ran as a full-service establishment. I figured down in the basement is where everything was in motion to keep the hotel running...
Back upstairs in the lobby the Letterbox is still the original and in use today.
The Yellow Cab Co. phone outlet is still on the wall. Doesn't serve a purpose other than showing the layout of the left side of the entrance, walking in. Can you imagine who needed the Yellow Cab? Where were they going, or coming from?
To the right of the Yellow Cab Co. sign is a wall that used to be a doorway...
These things were all so interesting to look at, touch, walk past. The most amazing part of this experience was the hidden room of the hotel. I was forbidden to take pictures but can tell you that I touched with my own hands the wooden ceiling beams that were hand-painted in rich greens and deep reds with gold leaf floral patterns. I was standing at the second to last row beam bracket. The photo below shows the left side, I was on the right side, I circled it..
I bent down to pass under those arches that are well hidden now. There was a mix of plaster covering the left side of the brackets, also what I circled.
I wish I could step back in time and experience a night out at the Knickerbocker, oh if these walls could talk.....