BEN LOMOND SUITES

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History

Opening in 1927 this hotel was the biggest in Ogden; it was called the Bigelow Hotel. It has been sub divided into both a hotel and apartments now but still remains the biggest hotel in the city.

It was considered one of the grand hotels of Utah along with the Hotel Utah – now the Joseph Smith Memorial Building – and the Newhouse Hotel – now demolished and turned into a 10 acre parking lot; both of which were/are in Salt Lake City.

It was built on the foundation of another hotel (Reed Hotel) dating back to the late 19th century.

In 1933 the new owner changed the name to the Ben Lomond Suites.

In the 1980’s Radisson Hotels purchased it and did a massive renovation and modernization.

In 2017 the name was changed back to the Bigelow Hotel.

In 2019 it was subdivided into apartments and hotel rooms (Bigelow Hotel and Residences).

Paranormal Activity

There have been numerous deaths on this site dating back to the Reed Hotel which stood on this location before the Bigelow Hotel/Ben Lomond Suites.

On September 8, 1902, Mrs Helen Tide – who has just moved into one of the Reed’s apartments on the 3rd floor with her husband – shot herself in the head. She was said to have been suffering from a number of illnesses.

On September 26, 1921, Asugi Nakano – a recently hired cook – fell three stories to his death in the elevator shaft. Thinking the freight elevator was there, he stepped through the doors and plunged to the bottom of the shaft.

On March 29, 1929, Dan Rowlands caught Edward Spellman in the act of raping an unconscious woman in his suite on the 12th floor after she had laid down because of drinking too much. While Rowlands was bringing Spellman down to the lobby Spellman tried to hit him. Rowland hit back causing Spellman to fall and hit his head on the wall killing him.

Rowlands was charged with murder, but the charge was dismissed.

In 1939 two men entered the hotel and asked the elevator operator to take them to the top floor (13th floor) – the elevator operator sensed something was wrong and tried to get help, but the lobby was deserted – and the men took the elevator themselves. Once on the top floor the 2 men went to a window at the end of the hallway and jumped out one after another.

It was later found out that both men had just lost their jobs.

On July 16, 1951, Donna Anderson – an Ogden teacher – jumped to her death from the window in her 9th floor room.

On October 24, 1976, a hotel clerk, Henry Topping Jr, was found in the lobby after being stabbed 44 times. The police would eventually find and jail his murderer; a 15 year old boy.

All of these deaths are documented in archives and local newspapers but the hauntings themselves have made some “Urban Legend” level changes to the truth. Most obviously, some of the stories have been moved to the 11th floor creating the legend that the 11th floor attracts the emotionally weak and suicidal which is a complete fabrication.

What is true is that hotels and motels have always been magnets to people looking to end their own lives. That way the family doesn’t have to deal with cleaning up the mess. They are also more prone to accidental deaths because people are relaxing and less on guard; they are also more prone to drink alcohol more heavily and use recreational drugs on vacation leaving them more vulnerable to accidents.

The records from the past are never perfect and it’s very possible some of the stories surrounding the hauntings did happen but just can’t be verified historically.

Disembodied voices are heard in Room 1106 said to be the room the 2 men – which Urban Legend have turned into brothers – jumped in. In truth a newspaper article confirms the 2 men were not guests of the hotel and didn’t enter any of the guest rooms plus they jumped from the 13th floor not the 11th.

While there certainly may be disembodied voices in Room 1106 it is not related to the 2 men who jumped to their deaths. Not to mention the 13th floor hallway needs to be investigated.

The other rooms connected with paranormal activity are 1102 and 1101 and there are so many reports of paranormal activity from both staff and guests it’s clear there is something happening here regardless of whether it can be backed up by historical records or not.

The story is a bride who was about to get married in the hotel drowned in her bathtub in Room 1102. Her son – who was staying in Room 1101 – either came in to clean up her things or he just simply was checking on her and found her dead – was overcome with grief and jumped out a window to his death.

It is rather strange it was son and not her fiancé doing this. On the other hand that part could confirm the story; an urban legend would have said it was the fiance that found her - more romantic that way.

The part of the hotel containing these rooms was said to have been kept locked up. Whether this is simply to keep out the curious and ghost hunters out or protect the living from the level of paranormal activity or both is unknown.

It is unclear is this part of the hotel even still exists as suites after the conversion to apartments.

Either way the following activity has been recorded:

In Room 1102 the tap in the bathtub turns on it’s own and begins filling the tub up, people have been pushed by something unseen, the lobby is said to get phantom calls from the room when it is empty, her disembodied voice has been heard and her full body apparition has been seen.

In Room 1101 people have described the sad/depressed energy of a male being sensed as he paces the room.

In both rooms apparitions have been seen, male and female voices have been heard, electrical disturbances and empathic feelings of unease and not being wanted have been reported as well as feelings of not being alone.