Fire destroys the hotel on the cover of The Doors’ classic album

The historic Morrison Hotel building had been vacant for years and would be transformed into public housing

The hotel immortalized by the Doors is consumed by flames

A huge fire destroyed this Thursday (12/26) the old Morrison Hotel, a historic building in Los Angeles immortalized as the cover of the album “Morrison Hotel” (1970), by the band The Doors. The image, recorded in the hotel lobby, showed singer Jim Morrison along with the other members of the group, making the venue an iconic rock address.

Built in 1914, the building had officially been unoccupied for at least 10 years, although homeless people used it as a shelter. During the fire, dozens of people were evacuated without injury, according to information from the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD).

Fire and building situation

The fire, controlled by more than 100 firefighters, caused extensive damage to the four-story structure. The building, acquired in 2022 by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, would be converted into affordable housing. However, the organization encountered difficulties in preventing irregular occupation of the property.

“For the fire department, there are no truly unoccupied buildings in the city of Los Angeles,” David Ortiz of the LAFD told Fox 11. “Many homeless people use these buildings as temporary homes. Today, several dozen have self-evacuated during the fire.”

The Fire Brigade is still investigating the causes of the accident.

The history of the Morrison Hotel in music

The cover of “Morrison Hotel”, photographed by Henry Diltz, was a spontaneous creation. According to Diltz, the location was discovered by keyboardist Ray Manzarek. “It was the kind of place where you could start a religion or plan an assassination,” Manzarek described in an old quote.

The recording was made improvised, without official permission. “The employee said we would need the owner’s permission. So we waited for him to leave and ran into the lobby to take photos,” Diltz revealed to the Louder Sound website.

The image was captured on a single roll of film. “They found positions right away. Jim was in the center and everything happened very quickly. Bang-bang-bang and we were out of there,” the photographer explained.

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Source: Terra

Earl

Earl Johnson is a music writer at Gossipify, known for his in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the industry. A graduate of USC with a degree in Music, he brings years of experience and passion to his writing. He covers the latest releases and trends, always on the lookout for the next big thing in music.