Wool Warehouse Theater
HauntedHouses.com
Haunted
Place - The Wool Warehouse Theater
MAILING ADDRESS:
Double Tree Hotel
201 Marquette Avenue
Albuquerque, New Mexico 87102
505-247-3344
LOCATION:
The Wool Warehouse Theater stands on
502 1st St. NW, near the railroad line in Albuquerque, located one short
block east of the Doubletree Hotel Albuquerque.
DESCRIPTION AND HISTORY
The Wool Warehouse Theater , a National
Historic Landmark, is a two story brick building, which was originally
a wool warehouse. The building was built in 1929 by wool industry bigwig,
Frank Bond, to act as his grand headquarters in New Mexico, as he had
extensive sheep ranching interests in the state. It's Egyptian structural
ambiance was due to its main architect, T. Charles Gaastra, who had just
gotten back from a trip to Egypt, which obviously influenced his work
on this building. Through the years, the building was passed down to
various Bond Family members, until 1974, when the city of Albuquerque
used the building as a records warehouse.
In 1984 it was bought by Betty and
George Luce, who turned the second floor into a theater restaurant,
as it was still a classy place, perfect for an upscale dinner theater,
as it "recalls an era of casual elegance, with "massive columns
featuring Egyptian motifs and Roaring 20s art deco appointments."
This building became The Wool Warehouse Theater Restaurant.
As of 2004, we find that The Wool
Warehouse Theater Restaurant building had been bought by Double Tree
Hotels, as it is only a block away from the Double Tree Hotel on Marquette
Avenue They spruced up both floors of the building, modernizing it with
the latest amenities "to create Albuquerque's premier facility."
They are using it as a rental for weddings, holiday and theme parties,
corporate functions, seminar, or conferences.
The second floor still is the home
of The Wool Warehouse Theater, which still has dinner theater activities,
as well has hosting weddings and other special events in need of a stage.
It encompasses 5000 sq. feet and holds up to 350 people, 250 for dinner
theater.
MANIFESTATIONS:
The Luce's renovations of the building
activated a spirit hanging around the building, which often happens
after old buildings are renewed structurally. Further renovations in
the coming years increased the area of spiritual manifestations felt
in the building, even in stair case leading to the basement area. Though
mostly were friendly occurrences, a few were not so nice.
1) An Entity who loves the theater!
- Thought to be one of the men in the Bond Family.
1985 -During the first production
presented in this theater, Stage Manager, Vicki , at first kept seeing
a cream-colored thing go past her. Then at intermission, she went
to check something on the left side of the stage, and there before
her, she saw the apparition of a very clean, very pleasant looking
man who was wearing a cream-colored, double-breasted suit, standing
right by the prop table, happily watching what was going on, very
pleased with the theater production.
2) In the following years, employees
and guests have felt hot and cold spots, and have actually felt a
presence among them, watching them.
4) Things and objects in the theater
have gone missing, only to reappear in other places in the building.
5) Employees avoided going down
the stairs behind the stage area to the basement, unless they really
had to go there. It was reported that employees have felt a push from
unseen hands while attempting to go down the stairs and had something
grab at their ankles. Strange sounds have been heard coming from the
walls as well.
STILL HAUNTED?
YES INDEED!
It seems that the pleasant Mr. Bond is still watching the living, pleased
that the building has been kept up and being put to good use! Another
not so nice entity seems to be hanging around the basement area and
is hostile to those who are brave enough to go down the stage steps.
PSYCHIC RESEARCH:
On October 31, 1998, Cody Polston
and Buck McCombs from the Southwest Ghost Hunter's Association investigated
the main lobby and theater on the second floor, with some interesting
findings and some revealing
pictures.
SOURCES INCLUDE:
The Ghostly Register,
A Guide to Haunted America, By Arthur Myers, Dorset Press, 1986
Double
Tree Albuquerque - Pictures and some text.
Southwest
Ghost Hunter's Association
The National Directory
of Haunted Places, Dennis William Hauck, Penguin Books, 1996
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