The iconic Morrison Hotel, known for its appearance on The Doors' album cover, has faced a tumultuous history over the past five decades. Despite its rock 'n' roll legacy, the hotel has been plagued by lawsuits, tenant complaints, and unfulfilled renovation plans.
Music photographer Henry Diltz first laid eyes on the Morrison Hotel lobby 55 years ago. He and his business partner Gary Burden drove to the hotel on Hope Street with Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek and lead singer Jim Morrison in their VW band van in December 1969. The Doors approached Diltz and Burden to put together a cover for an unnamed album. An improvised photo shoot of the legendary band inside the lobby would eventually become the cover to one of the Door's biggest-selling albums.
The visit to the four-story building marked the inception of the aging downtown building into rock 'n' roll history. Over the following five decades, the hotel has been the subject of lawsuits, tenant complaints and unfulfilled plans for multimillion-dollar renovations, culminating last month with a major fire on the day after Christmas that ripped through the 111-year-old building. Although preservationists are pressing the city to save the brick building with the rock 'n' roll vibe, the future remains uncertain and the end seems near. 'The whole world suddenly is interested in preservation when it's something they feel emotionally attached to,' said preservationist Kim Cooper. 'They don't feel emotionally attached to 111 affordable units in a neighborhood they've never been to that's been boarded up for 20 years, but they know the Morrison Hotel. It's got this kind of ruby dust of celebrity cachet.' For the Doors album cover, Manzarek suggested shooting at the Morrison Hotel, and when he, Morrison, Diltz and Burden arrived on Hope Street, they noticed the iconic window with its bold lettering. But Diltz was not immediately impressed by the hotel lobby. 'It was really kind of a transient flop house,' Diltz told The Times. The modest lobby offered little in terms of character and when the full band arrived a week later the clerk behind the counter told Diltz they could not take any photos inside
History Real Estate THE DOORS MORRISON HOTEL ALBUM COVER FIRE PRESERVATION
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