A LAST LOOK INSIDE THE DOOMED HOUSE OF MYSTERY.
Because of the shocking events of April 6, 2015 when the allegedly haunted abandoned apartment building at 44 Hargrave Street in downtown Winnipeg met its fiery end (see "Demon Hotel Burns to Hell!"), this post had to be delayed.
But incredibly, just about a week prior to the blazing destruction of the supposed supernatural portal, this Blog was again contacted by the brave but anonymous Urban Explorer who had previously dared to enter the possibly cursed corridors of the infamous Demon Hotel (see "Inside Demon Hotel"). What you are about to see are the last known pictures from inside the ominous ruins of the partially demolished structure, and what you are about to read is a first hand account, written by the Urban Explorer himself, of the final frightening expedition inside the dark, disquieting walls of DEMON HOTEL.
But incredibly, just about a week prior to the blazing destruction of the supposed supernatural portal, this Blog was again contacted by the brave but anonymous Urban Explorer who had previously dared to enter the possibly cursed corridors of the infamous Demon Hotel (see "Inside Demon Hotel"). What you are about to see are the last known pictures from inside the ominous ruins of the partially demolished structure, and what you are about to read is a first hand account, written by the Urban Explorer himself, of the final frightening expedition inside the dark, disquieting walls of DEMON HOTEL.
My biggest hobby is urban exploration. I
explore old sites and buildings and make a record of the moment through
photographs. Any area left to its own devices, outside of human intervention or
maintenance speaks to me and I try to share this with people through the pics.
I have explored this hobby for a few years now and have shared my many
adventures to various online blogs. Urban exploration is fun, exciting and
unfortunately, sometimes terrifying!
If you recall, I sent you documentation of
the strange and frightening experience I encountered at the DEMON HOTEL of
Hargrave, a few years ago…and now, I have a new bone chilling brush with the
strange to share with you!
I had stayed pretty well clear of Demon
Hotel since my last tangle with the bizarre, but be it that I pass nearby in my
daily activities, I had noticed some construction going on. It seemed it was
being bulldozed! Thank god someone decided to tear down this portal of
damnation! If I recall, the demolition has been documented on this site. Regardless,
as more and more bricks came down, I ventured ever nearer the husk of Demon
Hotel.
If any of you out there are Urban
Explorers, then you know the pull of the abandon, the attraction an old
building holds on romantic and extreme levels. It is for this reason that I did
the unthinkable…the suicidal…I ventured back into Demon Hotel.
Now before you claim I am a fool or
destined for a cursed, let me remind you, the entire front of the building is
gone. Completely defaced. The basement is exposed (as you can see from these
pics) and I dimly thought the horrors of the past must have dissipated. How can
a building hold any kind of negative energy when half of it is gone? I know now
that evil is embedded in this tortured place…soaked into the wood and stone.
It was a fresh Spring day and things seemed quiet. I had my camera on me as I was taking so pics of the Forks with a friend. As my photo bud and I parted ways, I came to that dreaded hub of hell on Hargrave. I looked sheepishly over and it seemed…quiet, dormant. As I mentioned above, I felt empowered to finally complete my urban documentation of this old…no doubt soon to be gone building. Yeah, I know…Urban Explorers are braver than they are smart!
As I ventured in to the open construction
site, things seemed calm. I could hear birds singing and the sun was shining.
In I went to get the pictures I needed to complete my Demon Hotel set I started
two years earlier.
Things were alright as I stepped into the
remnants of the building. The exposed bricks were eerie, but non-threatening
overall. I ventured deeper into the bowel of the Demon Hotel and then things
got weird.
I was getting some good pics and made my
way up the staircase shown.
Not ten seconds after I took the “Smoker” pic did a
strange noise resonate through the floor. Remember, the
entire front is pretty much sealed with boards. I could not see much but that
sound…the sound! Let me try and explain…it started as slow, heavy
steps echoing through the dark and then
escalated to a rushed scrapping …like a shuffling on the floor…coming right
towards me! My blood ran cold and I remembered feeling the same intense
sensations that I did two years before! I ran down the bit of stairs I had
began up and could hear the deep, dragging steps coming closer…closer…and now a
deep guttural sounds underscored the steps. A growl of sorts.
I ran. Ran like a thief in the night…like a cat from a dog. All I can remember of my hurried escape was blasting through the alley behind Demon Hotel ( I initially got in through the side, the front is gated) and seeing the back door of the building slowly opening into darkness. It would seem the evil is now aimlessly spilling out from the building as it slowly gets dismantled.
That is it! No more fucking Demon Hotel…no more brushes with the beyond…I was compelled by the Urban Explorer in me to stupidly return, but self preservation will prevent me from ever going back! Once again friends…you have been warned! Me…I will just have to learn to cope with the nightmarish thoughts that will consume my sleep for the next year. Thanks Demon Hotel.
Thus ends the Urban Explorer's final physical encounter within the bowels of the possibly para-normally possessed husk of the notorious Demon Hotel, but the psychological scars may be long lasting. Throughout this Blog we have endeavoured to warn both the foolish and the brave from tempting the dark forces that may have been contained within the bleak ruins of the abandoned Hargrave building. While we may be titillated, entertained and most certainly enlightened by such paranormal investigations, could the human cost be too great?
EPILOGUE: soon after the fire five teenagers were reportedly charged with arson causing the destruction of the abandoned apartment building at 44 Hargrave Street. But why did they do it? Was it merely an act of malicious vandalism, or could the experiences of the Urban Explorer indicate that the old building contained dark forces ready to prey on the unwary? And could this essence of evil remain locked into the grounds where once stood that nexus of the supernatural known as DEMON HOTEL.
