History & local legend
Philadelphia’s Independence Park Hotel occupies the historic Elliott Building on Chestnut Street. Former employees described several unsettling guest experiences to Philadelphia Weekly reporter Steve Volk for his February 2006 article about the hotel.
One guest complained that her bed shook during the night. Carmen Colon, who had worked as a maid, recalled checking the room afterward. According to former employee Jenn Hay, the guest reported that it happened again on her second night, this time accompanied by a voice telling her to leave through the window. After the shaking stopped, the telephone rang, but no one spoke at the other end.
Other guests complained of children running through the corridors. Hay said staff went to investigate and found the halls empty; there were no children listed among the registered guests.
Sources
- Steve Volk, “An Old City Haunt,” Philadelphia Weekly, February 8, 2006. Interviews with former employees Jenn Hay and Carmen Colon
- Independence Park Hotel, the operator’s history identifies the Elliott Building and 235 Chestnut Street address
- Philadelphia Architects and Buildings, Elliott Building history and survey number
- Library of Congress, Historic American Buildings Survey, Chestnut Street Area Study, photograph 1 from May 1972
