Location: City of Monterey.

Take Del Monte Avenue North to Lake Drive, turn right. These impressive buildings now are the property of the U.S. Government, and visitation is restricted for obvious reasons. Buildings now house The U.S. Naval Postgraduate School.

Description and History:

This immense, high class, uniquely beautiful hotel for the rich and famous, built on spacious grounds, once considered to be one of the grandest hotels on the west coast, opened its doors in 1880, thanks to the efforts of wealthy businessmen, like Charles Crocker, who helped to finance its construction.

The elaborate main building of the Del Monte, now called Herrmann Hall, is surrounded by gardens. In its long history, the original building suffered from disastrous fires and had to be rebuilt in sections, because of fire damage.

It is described as an imposing white structure, that has red tile roofing. The building has a 120 ft. Spanish style tower, and a huge, 200 ft. dining room. Hidden passageways are known to wind around the building's old walls. Upstairs, as was the custom of upper crust hotels, there is a large ballroom, used presently as a banquet room.

Manifestations:

The gentleman ghost of Charles Crocker is suspected as the one who is haunting the main building, Herrmann Hall. Many unusual occurrences often happen which may be caused by Crocker or other unknown entities

As reported in Randall A. Reinstedt's book, Ghostly Tales and Mysterious Happenings of Old Monterey, a kitchen employee told Reinstedt that he was doing some cleaning up in the empty banquet room, when he felt someone starring at him. Looking up, he saw the fully detailed, solid apparition of this often seen indignant gentleman, glaring straight at him, like he was disgruntled by the lack of service. Recognizing this gentleman as being the often seen ghost, the employee hastily fled the room in terror, making a bee line back to the kitchen, looking ashen in color, totally shaken up. After finally sputtering out his story, a group of the kitchen employees banded together to enter the banquet room to face this dissatisfied ghostly patron. While all the other chairs had been pushed into the table, the chair where this gentleman had been seated, was pushed back, as if someone had gotten up and left.

2) Reinstedt also reports that a four ft. bread tray suddenly was pushed by an unseen force, banging into a stove in the kitchen.

3) There is an ancient relic of an elevator near the front of Herrmann Hall, that must be operated from the inside of the elevator itself. It has been known to go up and down between floors when no one seen is inside.

4) Other incidents briefly reported by Reinstedt:

a) A waitress was tapped on the shoulder by an unseen hand.

b) Glasses shattered unexpectedly in a busboy's hand.

c) As in many haunted places, the lights go on and off by themselves, and the doors open and close by themselves.

d) Dental technicians has seen an apparition in the upstairs hall.

e) During rainy or foggy nights, a strange apparition is seen hanging around the tower.

 STILL HAUNTED?

Like many old hotels, ghosts are drawn to the Hotel Del Monte, perhaps because of all the good times they had there, or some tragedy they suffered there or because they feel the need to keep an eye on the living, to be sure their beloved hotel is well taken care of. Charles Crocker may fall into this last category.