The Morrison Hotel, forever etched in rock history thanks to The Doors’ 1970 album, has been gutted by fire.
The blaze consumed the iconic downtown Los Angeles structure on Thursday, December 26th, raging for two hours before over 100 firefighters brought it under control.
The fire left the 110-year-old building, which had stood vacant for over a decade, in ruins.
It’s believed the building had been home to several dozen unhoused people in recent years. Everyone inside the four-story building managed to escape, with several people rescued from fire escapes. No injuries were reported.
The Morrison Hotel’s place in music lore is undeniable. It lent its name to The Doors’ fifth album, featuring classics like “Roadhouse Blues” and “Peace Frog.”
Its now infamous cover, shot by photographer Henry Diltz, shows Jim Morrison and the band gazing out the hotel’s lobby window.
Diltz recalled the 1969 shoot in a 2020 social media post, revealing how The Doors snuck into the lobby for the now-legendary photo. “On this day, December 17th, 1969, we were out taking photos for the Morrison Hotel album cover. We were at a transient hotel in Downtown LA on Hope Street,” the post read. “The Doors didn’t have permission to take pictures, so when the lobby was empty, they ran in quickly and sat behind the window. One roll of film shot before we got asked to leave.”
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Reacting to the fire, Diltz told CBS News Los Angeles that he was “very sad” to hear of the destruction. “I hope somebody will rebuild it,” he added.
A year ago, the AIDS Healthcare Foundation announced it acquired the property for $11.9 million and planned to convert the building into low-income housing.
Fire officials are now assessing whether the structure can be salvaged.
For a deeper dive, including an interview with Diltz, check out the news report on the Morrison Hotel fire below:
