The Winecoff Hotel Fire | A Short Documentary | Fascinating Horror
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 24 ก.ค. 2024
- "On the 7th of December, 1946, at around 3:00am, the bell boy on duty at the Winecoff Hotel in downtown Atlanta received a room service order..."
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CHAPTERS:
00:00 - Intro
00:55 - Background
03:43 - The Winecoff Hotel Fire
08:40 - The Aftermath
MUSIC:
► "Glass Pond" by Public Memory
► "Underworld" by Myuu
SOURCES:
► "The Hotel Winecoff Disaster" by James K McElroy, published by The Quarterly (Journal of the National Fire Protection Association), January 1947. Available via: web.archive.org/web/201106090...
► National Register of Historic Places Registration Form for the Winecoff Hotel, held by the National Park Service. Available via: npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/be...
► "Death Leap From Blazing Hotel - The Story Behind the Photo Taken by an Amateur Photographer That Won the 1947 Pulitzer Prize" published by Vintage News Daily, May 2018. Link: vintagenewsdaily.com/death-le...
► "Focus on the Winecoff fire" by Macon Morehouse, published by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, December 1996. Link: www.ajc.com/lifestyles/focus-...
#Documentary #History #TrueStories
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'Absolutley Fireproof' is to buildings what 'Unsinkable' is to ships.
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Exactly. The Iroquois Theater was advertised as fireproof and there was a horrible fire there. Unfortunately people are arrogant and think they can build something with no mistakes.
@@empresskrissy1527 Private business has an extensive track record of not taking risks seriously until something happens or regulations are imposed.
Exactly 👍
Yep.
Ah yes. The building is indeed absolutely fireproof. The furnishings, paneling, carpet, wallpaper, and doors on the other hand...
brick will burn, but you need magma temps to do it.
@bna2buf7?!
Funnily enough, solid wood doors don't burn easily and if it weren't for the open transoms, would probably have allowed many more people to be rescued.
And all the people trapped like rats
That doesn't mean what you think it means. Absolutely fireproof is an insurance term that means that the structure of the building is made with fireproof materials (concrete and steel, or brick) and won't collapse if the building catches fire. Compared with wooden structures.
Whenever I stay in a hotel now I hear this narrators voice. "What Steve was unaware of is that years of poor maintenance and cost cutting measures would soon add up to disaster."
I tend to hear Mike Rowe's voice talking about cleanliness - or lack thereof. "First thing I do is take the comforter off the bed. It's disgusting." (or words to that effect from a Dirty Jobs episode)
They did this on some hotel show. They sprayed it with invisible, washable glow in the dark spray, and found pillow cases They didn't even bother to WASH, because their logo was on the damn pillow!
I'd bring a black lite WITH ME, and my own top blanket.
lmao ^ ME, any time I'm driving on a bridge
For me any time I'm in a tall building or on a train or in a plane I hear.. "Disasters don't just happen. They are a chain of critical events. Unravel the clues and countdown those final.. Seconds From Disaster!"
@@krashd that show was fantastic, and the narrator was so effective, I can still hear that dude's voice in my head from time to time
In remembrance:
Earlyne Adams, 16
Sarah Margaret Aldridge, 28
Florence Allen Baggett, 43
Walter Leon Baker, 41
Clarence Bates Jr., 14
Walton Beck, 47
Charles Billy Berry, 25
Mildred Chandler Boschung, 23
Dorothy Sue Broome, 16
Dallas Lamar Brown Jr., 16
M. Louise Hood Brown, 46
William Edgar Bryson, 28
Eloise Evelyn Buck, 40
Ashley John Burns, 26
Edith Elma Burch, 20
W.M. Clarence
Martha Harriett Cobb, 21
Joseph Constangy, 28
Freda M. Constangy, 25
Morris Theo Constangy, 56
Robert Houk Cox, 33
Billie Henderson Cox, 35
John Philip David, 26
Mary Alice Davis, 48
Martha Hopkins Dekle, 69
William D. Dickerson, 38
Mary E. Pettit Dickerson, 34
William Marcus Dickerson, 3
Mary Malinda Dickerson, 6
Eric Hayworth Ellicott, 46
Robert Alvin Fluker, 41
Elmer Andrew Conzett, 32
Joseph Arthur Goodson Jr., 36
Gladys Grace Goodson, 29
Joseph Arthur Goodson III, 4
Barbara Beck Goodson, 1
Earl Carr Gregg, 14
Patricia Ann Griffin, 14
Frank Buford Hale Jr., 31
Julia Nell Hall, 16
Lena Harris, 47
Christine Adams Hinson, 17
Harold Garnett Irvin, 23
John Newton Irwin, 21
Jerry Ann Jenkins, 15
William Franklin Jones, 21
W.M. Jones
Irene Delores Justice, 29
Charles Wilkes Keith, 17
Peter Seymour Knox Sr., 78
Gertrude Austin Knox, 68
Paul Douglas Lain, 54
Grace Slaughter Lain, 52
James Robert Little, 25
Eloise E. Mason, 59
Jacob M. Mauss
Carol Gwen McCoy, 17
James Lewis McDonald, 39
Hedy Helen Metcalf, 15
Sarah Rebecca Miller, 34
Aubrey Rutledge Minnix Jr., 15
Mary Smith Minor, 31
Laura Belle Mirandia, 37
Ella Sue Mitchum, 16
Vernon Ralph Moody, 32
Sam Mooney
Suzanne Moreno Moore, 16
Dwight Lane Morrison, 26
Robbie June Moye, 16
Mary Louise Murphy, 14
Margaret Wilson Nichols, 30
Margaret Adele Parker, 12
Altona Webb Perry, 65
Edward Lewis Pettijohn, 41
Ruth Powell, 16
Jean Pruett, 21
Freddie Louise Pruitt, 22
Carl Christian Rasmussen, 49
Richard Carl Rasmussen, 20
Emelda Louise Reeves, 21
Gloria Riemann, 20
Cora Jeanette Riley, 16
Wylie L. Rochelle, 46
Marianne D. Scherle, 16
Jack Bowen Sheriff, 32
Nell Zorn Sims, 33
Cleveland D. Sisk, 48
James Ernest Slatton, 16
Dorothy Christine Smith, 36
Fred Salder Smith, 13
Dorothy Sadler Smith, 11
Mary Clarke Smith, 2
Emma Anne Smith, 14
Bobby L. Sollenberger, 16
Harry W. Sorrells, 46
Ethel Stewart, 20
Mary E. Stinespring, 58
Harriett McKinnon Strickland, 16
Elaine Sullivan, 20
Herbert Edward Swanson, 38
Edward Owen Thomas, 55
Frances Louise Thompson, 17
Charles Harold Thruen, 51
Bess Mitchell Thruen, 50
William Barr Todd Jr., 39
Irene Harris Tollett, 44
Sarah Virginia Tolbert, 16
Dorothy Marie Tyner, 16
Patricia Ann Uphold, 16
George William Walden, 16
Helen Marie Walker, 31
Phoebe Ann Walker, 16
Ernest Benedict Weatherly Sr., 64
Mary Boisclair Williams, 40
Julia Boisclair Williams, 8
R.E. Williams
Robert Clay Williams, 21
Betty Maxine Willis, 16
Irene Wilson, 55
William Fleming Winecoff, 76
Grace Marion Winecoff, 76
Rest in peace. Terrible way to go.
Wow.. entire families..
Very kind and diligent of you to provide that list, RIP to all those people who should not have lost their lives prematurely due to negligence
Wow that really puts into perspective how many people died
Definitely worthy of pinned-comment status. Was this sourced off the dedicated page on FindAGrave, by any chance? Even with all the names, it must have taken a while to calculate everyone's ages going by DOBs.
“The priority when fireproofing buildings must be the preservation of lives; not the preservation of buildings”
Amen to that!
The term "fireproof" doesn't mean what you think. Fireproof, in the context of this building, and really any structure built in the early 20th century, referred to the type of construction. IE, a building that was 'fireproof' meant it was built with concrete, and steel, and not wood. Fireproof in that sense meaning that in the event of a fire, the building wouldn't collapse in on itself.
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@@KibuFoxthat’s exactly what they mean. just because a building is completely fireproof doesn’t mean it’s safe
That’s what I heard on another comment about the Triangle Shirtwaist fire. The building is still in use today because that was the industry definition of fireproof: that the building will be usable after a fire and not a total loss.
Yeah, but...if there weren't the concern for factor fires, there would be no sprinkler systems. That's why they were invented and haven't changed since late 1800s.
Good for Arnold for taking these photos. It's crazy that without him, we probably wouldnt even have evidence how bad the fire was. I'm also glad he broke down the door to the pharmacy to help those injured. RIP the victims. Very sad. Thank you for this story. I'm still so shocked it took 30 mins to call for the fire trucks despite them being so close by. That seems to be the main cause of death to allow so much time for the fire to spread.
I wonder if the charges against him were dismissed. If I were him I'd have proudly told that judge that I broke the door down so that people's lives could be saved.
I think, considering he was released the same day that they realized what a bad idea his arrest was and offered to have his suit cleaned for his troubles. Only sort of kidding... arresting a journalist for trying to be a hero could only lead to bad press.
@@momtammy3563 Yeah, what was that term... PR nightmare?
You're right nobody would know about all the dead people if it wasn't for the pictures.
My grandfather was supposed to stay at the Winecoff that night, but ended up staying overnight with relatives after dinner.....they were awakened by frantic calls asking about his whereabouts.
My grandfather was the same with the Coconut Grove fire. He was there, but he left early because his date got sick. We had some lucky grandfathers.
Glad for you both. The number of fires on this channel is just yikes!
The “absolutely fireproof” claim, referring to the building but not the people inside, reminds me of Daffy Duck as Duck Dodgers, facing an alien with a disintegrator gun. Daffy declares confidently, “Fortunately, I’m wearing my disintegrator-proof vest!” The alien fires, Daffy disintegrates, but the disintegrator-proof vest stands proudly intact. Another awesome video, man.
And then there's his own disintegrating pistol--and boy when it disintegrates, it disintegrates.
The emergency response seems very good considering the circumstances. Being that the fire had been going THIRTY MINUTES before they were called.
The notable exception being the police, who made no attempt to set up a triage center, and in fact, arrested the one guy who did try to do so.
Considering that the nearest fire station was a 30-second drive away, I'm guessing at the station they were probably like: "...do you smell smoke?"
Insane. All of the things they DIDN'T do 😔
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@@hellomark1 Several years ago in L.A. a building that size caught fire overnight while still under construction. The whole building was fully involved and burning by the time it was noticed... and the nearest fire station was across the street.
This reminds me of the Daeyeonggak Hotel Fire, the deadliest hotel fire in history. It occurred on Christmas Day 1971, in Seoul, Korea, after a propane stove in a coffee shop on the second floor, leaked and exploded, the subsequent fire created dense dark smoking, making it impossible for guests to see the exits. The Daeyeonggak was a 22 storey hotel, so when the Seoul Fire and Rescue Service showed up, their ladders could only reach the eighth floor, helicopters from Korean and American military bases were used to rescue victims trapped in the upper floors, but this was not always successful, some guests lost their grip on the slings and fell to their deaths, but perhaps the most ghastly moments caught on camera, where desperate guests leaping out of the windows, grasping onto mattresses hoping it would cushion the impact, tragically, no one survived attempting this escape. 164 people died in the disaster, like the Winecoff, this was a luxury hotel advertised as "Fireproof", however, it lacked sufficient internal fire escapes, no external fire escape, lack of fireproof doors, and flammable luxury decorations contributing to the spread of the fire, nevertheless, fire codes were revised after the Daeyeonggak, and the Seoul Fire Service improved their high rise response, today, the Daeyeonggak still stands, it remains a hotel just like the Winecoff, and all those involved with the cause of the disaster were convicted and imprisoned for their role.
Ahh so that’s where the twin towers employees learned it. They must not have watched til the end to learn it didn’t work. Tragic
Thank you for sharing your knowledge
Room service delivery at 3AM? That is luxurious.
Well it is the 1940’s so……
@@amethyst49ergurlthat wasn't going to last long.
An order for ginger ale and ice, one of the reports said.
Things were different back then.
depending ofthe hotel but you can still do that
"Absolutely fireproof"... After watching this channel for years, we KNOW that's a bad omen...
That doesn't mean what you think it means. Absolutely fireproof is an insurance term that means that the structure of the building is made with fireproof materials (concrete and steel, or brick) and won't collapse if the building catches fire. Compared with wooden structures. The fact that the building didn't collapse, well it did exactly what a fireproof building should.
@@KibuFox Still giving me the same vibes as "unsinkable" ships...
@@LittleRedToyota It did what it was supposed to. Other buildings being constructed around the same time were still using wood as structural components. A building being marked as 'fireproof' doesn't have any part of its support construction being wood. The idea is that it can burn and burn, and won't come down. Which as I noted, it did here.
It only gives those vibes to those that don't understand it and think it means you can't start a fire. That's like saying that a car with airbags in it, since those protect the people, by extension should be impossible to have a car accident with.
@@KibuFox Good thing you understand it better than me then so you can be arrogant about it and give me opinions I don't have and words I haven't spoken... I'm not going to Dunning-Krüger at least, so I will leave it with this: when someone state their building is fireproof and ship is unsinkable, I will as a watcher of this channel instantly get bad vibes and expect a horrifying story, regardless of what the true meaning of "fireproof" and "unsinkable" is.
After watching this channel for years, I knew exactly how bad it would be when he described the stairway and the venelation window in rooms.
To the creator of this video, I want to just remark that it is stunning how many photographs you were able to compile for this. I felt like I was actually there, and that's really impressive for something happening in the 1940s when cameras were much rarer. An absolutely fantastic video.
The building still exists and is in use....but of course has a different name.
The unexplained 30 minute delay in calling for help is one of those terrible what-ifs. With a minute response time, you have to think it would have saved so many more lives. Just baffling why it took so long to call - they even called a bunch of guests during this time!
Agree - that is really mysterious. I guess it was 3am and most people were asleep, but you'd think the bell boy would have phoned someone from the room in which he took refuge.
@@purplecelery7380I don't think hotel room phones had access to outside lines in those days, just to reception. Why the person on reception didn't phone the fire brigade is just baffling.
@nlwilson4892, correct, all phones went through the hotel switchboard. Even to call room to room.
@@nlwilson4892Probably the receptionist simply forgot. I know, it sounds insane, how could u forget, but even if he didnt totally panic, he would have been in a totally unforseen situation, and he probably thought of getting the guests out. And in the process forgot, that only he could call the fire department.
We cant know, since we werent there, nor can we know, how we wouldve reacted in the same scenario. But that is a very human reaction, that has been seen plenty of times b4 in other disasters, the ppl simply get so focused on 1 specific task, here warning the guests, that they forget the most important task of all, here call the fire department.
Thats why there are strict procedures in planes, on ships etc, and nowadays there are also procedures in large buildings like hotels, factories, office blocks, large apartment buildings and so on for what to do in an emergency. Like there was at the World Trade Center on 9/11, tho the stay in place order was, in that case, clearly the wrong call, and the vast majority of survivors were those, who had ignored the order.
@@dfuher968 The larger the area, the more chance their is of people assuming that someone else has already made the call. This still happens in cities today.
I worked with a lady that was there watching from across the street. Even after 60 years she still cried telling me about that day. Horrible. ❤
I know a man who was a survivor of The Station Nightclub fire Warwick RI. He had been by the stage and heard a voice in his head up immediately head for the front door exit. He was one of only ones to get out safely and had to watch the trapped die. He got survivor guilt and it really messed him up emotionally. That was over 20 years ago.
From someone who works in archives and spends a lot of time looking through old newspaper ads: "Fireproof" was a really common claim in for decades. Knowing what construction and firefighting technologies were until very recently I very much doubt that any of the buildings advertised as such actually were, so the Winecoff was hardly alone in making this claim and also in being very wrong about it.
That doesn't mean what you think it means. Absolutely fireproof is an insurance term that means that the structure of the building is made with fireproof materials (concrete and steel, or brick) and won't collapse if the building catches fire. Compared with wooden structures. The fact that the building didn't collapse, well it did exactly what a fireproof building should.
In the San Francisco earthquake there was a fireproof hotel which even had a sprinkler system fed by a 10,000 gallon water tank on it's roof. What hadn't been considered is that the fires around it lasted longer that it's water supply did which eventually doomed it.
I see a future episode unfolding with the breaking news of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore. Hard to believe
😅😅😅
The way that bridge collapsed, though...US infrastructure is just a ticking time bomb.
What?!
For real. Roughly 20-30 people may be in the water as I'm typing this. Hopefully they don't become a statistic in a Fascinating Horror video.
😢
I live in Atlanta. I've often heard of the Winecoff fire and wondered where it had been. I looked on Google Earth, and the building's still there at 178 Peachtree Street. I went into street view mode and tipped the frame up to make sure I was in front of the right building...and suddenly seeing the building towering above me had a particularly fearsome, vertiginous effect. I can only imagine how terrifying the other perspective must have been, especially with billowing smoke and roaring flames behind them. EESH.
There aren't many things we can truly count on in this life, but FH uploading on Tuesday morning (in U.S) is one of them! I always look forward to it and am never disappointed! Thank you ❤
I went to look it up immediately after the video, and as you might suspect, the hotel is considered haunted. Reports include seeing figures in hallways and windows, sounds of running and other chaos in hallways, the inexplicable smell of smoke, and apparently it's not uncommon for the fire alarm to go off at 2:48am, the time the fire started.
I live just outside of Atlanta and I have heard the same thing for many years. I keep saying one day I’m going to go stay there and see if it’s true.
People know the history and talk themselves into seeing and hearing things
Hard to miss a fire alarm, tho...
@@windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823
Yes, but how many times do they notice when the fire alarm goes off and it's NOT 02:48?
@@jerry2357group think applies to delusions or mirages, sometimes. Look at Trumpism, for instance.
I had never realized that those automatic closing hotel doors are a fire safety feature (as well as security). Fascinating.
I am always learning "oh, so that's why we do that thing!" with Fascinating Horror Thank you.
I learned about automatic closing doors in hospitals and schools are for fires back in the day. It’s to make sure they don’t get any oxygen.
Thank you for covering our historical local midtown disaster. At least the changes that were made to the building codes made buildings in Atlanta safer. As it is said, regulations are written in blood.
i just love the structure of your storytelling. overview, backstory, context, buildup, the accident, what went wrong, the consequences, and overview again. its so clear and concise without missing important details.
For a lot of my life, I remember seeing a plaque for 4 local boys when I would go walking with my grandmother in the main street of her city. They were staying at the hotel for a convention.
ROMANS REMEMBERED:
DALLAS LAMAR BROWN 1930-1946
JAMES EARNEST SLATTON 1930-1946
CHARLES WILKES KEITH 1929-1946
WILLIAM GEORGE WALDEN 1930-1946
EVEN THOUGH THE PHYSICAL BODY IS NO LONGER WITH US, THE MEMORY OF THEM WILL LONG BE CHERISHED IN OUR HEARTS.
'Absolutely fireproof'.
Yeah... 'bout that...
Ask the survivors of the Iriquous Theater fire how that worked out.😢
“Well Y’see, we only said that the building was fireproof, not the furnishings nor its occupants, I don’t see the confusion”. - The building’s marketing team, probably
@@dawnstorm9768Yeah really, they didn't learn anything from the Iroquois Theater?
Now I have to wonder if there was anyone who remembered the Iroquois fire and still alive at the time of the Winecoff, hearing about that and facepalming.
@@mybodymychoice6557They didn't learn anything from Cocoanut Grove, either, like not covering walls with burlap and paper...
It's being trapped in the elevator that would terrify me the most being in such a confined space
I was in a mirrored elevator at the mall a few days ago when I had a panic attack.
I've never had a panic attack in a non mirrored elevator.
Maybe I don't like staring at my reflection in a confined space?!
@@tumslucks9781 Would that be a fear of self-reflection?
Been trapped in too many - some with views, some with mirrors, my fav being one with a very dim light in an office building that was only open for an odd event on weekend on a 40 degree Celsius day with no aircon and ppl telling us rescue may come in 2hours 🫠😑. TG that lift suddenly started to move, the ppl at the event didn’t even notice it gad stopped
Makes me glad I'm an elevator mechanic and keep elevator keys on me at all times. Cause I wouldn't want to be in that situation either.😂
I remember reading about people being trapped in the elevators in the World Trade Center on 9/11 too. I can't imagine how horrifying that was to be stuck in there, just waiting to either succumb to smoke/fire or die in the collapse. 😢
I've enjoyed your channel for a couple years now... When the Baltimore Bridge Disaster happened this week, I could already hear "On the 26th of March 2024 at 1:28 am, the Francis Scott Key Bridge near Baltimore Maryland... "
My father was a night watchman at Davisons on Peachtree Street next door. He watched the whole thing from across the street. He saw many jumpers. He was very affected by this experience his whole life......
For decades, I've made it a point to learn primary and secondary escape routes from interior motel/hotel rooms (as opposed to rooms which open directly to the outdoors), and I would walk the routes to the stairway doors, trying to memorize the turns necessary, even counting my steps. (In case of smoke, I would need to crawl close to the floor, and have to count doors along the way.) I only stayed in one house of horrors, where the construction was so utterly convoluted (as best as I could figure, an "H" design, with smaller corridors on each tip of the "H", and even more turns off of those small halls... I tried multiple times to figure it out and commit it to memory, but STILL kept getting lost on my way to the exit stairs -- without an emergency in progress! All I could do was HOPE for no fire during the night; and the fact that I had a 14th floor room number (technically on the 13th floor, which didn't officially exist due to superstitious travellers) was even more unnerving. I didn't care about the number 13, per se, but thirteen floors up without a clear path to an emergency exit was scary as hell! Thankfully, nothing untoward happened that night. But just the thought of it -- another Winecoff in the making... 😮
I used to fly quite often for business and did the same counting steps to emergency exits. Not that plane crashes have great outcomes anyway, but I didn't want to stumble in smoke and burn to death if the crash was survivable.
Smart! I’ve certainly started doing these things since subscribing to this TH-cam channel!
Some years back I read the book "Fourteen Minutes -- The Last Voyage of the Empress of Ireland" by James Croall. In 1914 the Canadian Pacific liner Empress of Ireland was struck at night be another ship, tilted to starboard, the lights went out, and the liner sank in 14 minutes with a thousand fatalities. After the loss of the Titanic two years earlier Canadian Pacific adopted a policy that crew members had to know the layout of their ships, or at least the parts they worked and lived in, so well that the crew members could get out onto an open deck even in the dark. Many of the survivors were crew members who knew how to get outside rather than passengers who had boarded the ship only hours before. The crew and officers did what they could for the passengers. Since reading that book I've been encouraging people to familiarize with their surroundings and to have a plan of escape if needed and not because of fear and paranoia but as reasonable, practical precaution that's just a normal part of life.
It was fireproof like the Titanic was unsinkable
It never claimed it was The press did, but that's up to them, following Captain Smith's words, that he could not imagine anything being able to do so.
White Star themselves, though, stopped short of that, 'labelling it, 'Virtually Unsinkable, "which isn't the same.
My exact thought as soon as I heard that.
Not really since the building burned but was structurally intact and refinished, whereas the Titanic sunk and is still at the bottom of the ocean unusable.
That doesn't mean what you think it means. Absolutely fireproof is an insurance term that means that the structure of the building is made with fireproof materials (concrete and steel, or brick) and won't collapse if the building catches fire. Compared with wooden structures. The fact that the building didn't collapse, well it did exactly what a fireproof building should.
9:40 - What a bad ass. Kicks in door, gets arrested by the people who wanted in anyways. Big brain move.
The hotel’s website has a History section which says absolutely nothing about the fire!
“HISTORY
The original hotel opened in 1913, before the start of World War I, immediately becoming the popular place to stay in the heart of Atlanta. Peachtree Street soon became known for its exclusive hotels, and launched the city's vibrant night life during the 1920s.
Fast-forward to 2006, after undergoing considerable renovations, the Ellis Hotel Atlanta, A Tribute Portfolio Hotel opened with a new floorplan to match a contemporary environment while preserving the history of the hotel.
Now, in honoring the history, the Ellis Hotel is a proud member of the Historic Hotels of America Association.”
Well.. they indeed conveniently ”fast-forwarded” the middle of the 20th century...
That's bullshit
Can you link your source? I've been combing the Ellis Hotel website and can't find a history section.
@@tacostew1670 I have revisited the website to respond to your question, and it appears the History section has been deleted! Marriott management keeps tabs on media coverage and may have deleted the page after seeing the FH video.
Would you post anything about the fire?
It was the biggest modern disaster in Atlanta until the 1962 Orly plane crash....
Wow, as a native Georgian and long time Atlanta resident, I really appreciate you covering this. As always, great job! The highlight of my then 10 year dad's life was going to Atlanta to see Song of the South but he never mentioned anything about the hotel, I guess a major fire didn't make an impression on a 10 year old or maybe they moved the location of the movie? I definitely learned some things I didn't know about this local tragedy.
I believe it was said that the theater was right across the street from the hotel.
I imagine that any subsequent showings were cancelled, or at least moved.
Song of the South premiered at the Fox, which is actually a fair bit away from the Winecoff/Ellis, on November 12, 1946. The hotel right across the street from the Fox is the Georgian Terrace. This seems to be an oopsie in the facts of the video.
@jonaskane4363 thanks! I kind of wondered if that was correct about it being across the street from the hotel..
The rooms were decorated and furnished with thick carpeting, wood, burlap, paper, dry straw, kindling, and gasoline. Absolutely fireproof.
I understand that it was built to 1913 standards, but didn't anyone ever think "Maybe we ought to do a safety inspection and look for potential fire hazards?" I mean, come on, people!
most people alive then had grown up taking fire very much for granted...way more so than people today.
before electricity was so widespread, fire was an everyday fact of life. you needed it countless times everyday...to cook, to heat, to wash and iron, to light gas lamps, to power steam engines. and let's not even mention cigars, cigarettes and pipes.
So tragic. Painted burlap on the walls is what i remember hearing in the video. First: it might have looked ugly but two: definitely a fire hazard, no??
"Absolutely Fireproof....The building will survive, but you won't."
Would have been a more fitting advertisement.
This channel never ceases to amaze me. So many events that I’ve never heard about before. This one had a huge loss of life and I’ve never heard about it. Keep up the great videos.
Printing "absolutely fireproof" on your advertisements basically guarantees that your building will be burn to the ground. Unfortunately.
The Swedish public radio used a clip of one of your videos in a documentary. I got really excited when I recognised your voice
This reminds me a bit of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire from 1911. The jumping from the windows always gets me. 😢
It’s really cool to me to see some of the events that parked the building codes for fire ratings of doors and frames (I work in the industry). Thank you for the informative documentary. Well done, as always.
Seeing window after window ablaze is truly jarring. Thank you for your work and narration, excellent as always
One of my second cousins (we shared a great grandparent) was what they called an ambulance driver back when the Winecoff fire occurred. These were not paramedics, rather they just transported people to hospitals and bodies to morgues. He was just out of the US Navy after WW2. He responded to the fire and, when I was a kid, he would tell us stories of that night. He went on to own his own funeral home as a funeral director in the Atlanta area. RIP Cousin Fred.
I guess if there is one bright light constant in any of these stories, the response time of the fire department once the alarm is raised. I am always amazed at how fast they can suit up and be at the scene with water on the fire. no small feat to go from doing whatever they had to do around the firehouse at that time to having to go full A-Game and get to a fire in a small handful of minutes.
I wonder if the heavy emphasis on the hotel being ‘absolutely fireproof’ led someone to ‘testing’ this claim.
The whole story really encapsulates the "property before people" philosophy. Both in judging the building "fireproof" when the only thing that would survive a fire would be the structure, and the fire and police services refusing to break into the pharmacy to set up the aid station (and arresting Hanby for doing so).
That's what "Fireproof" means. It doesn't have the same impact to people today, but for context, it meant a measure of safety to the people then, as it was saying "If this building catches on fire, then the entire thing won't collapse."
@@KibuFox I understand that, my point is that defining the term in that way to begin with reveals the systemic priorities of those defining it.
That was fascinating. Thank you
I stayed here about 18 years ago, now The Ellis Hotel. I was a smoker at the time and I walked downstairs to smoke and around the corner hidden away is a national register plaque. It basically said the largest loss of life fire happened here and because of that there are new fire and safety codes for buildings. I walked back in an 2 employees were standing behind the counter, a man and a woman and I asked if the place was haunted. The woman said she has heard a lot of stories and the guy dropped the professional demeanor and started saying I don't want to see none of that. I stayed 3 nights, nothing happened. That same year I stayed at the Emily Morgan in San Antonio and it felt way heavier than the Ellis/Winecoff hotel.
Imagine reading a plaque about the deadliest fire and then asking the employees if the building is haunted .
Turbo autist behavior
There have been bigger loss of life fires, the Winecoff isn't even the largest loss of life fire for a hotel, sadly. There was a skyscraper hotel in south Korea that did the Towering Inferno thing in the 70's.
Owner: This building is completely fireproof!
Everyone: *clapping
Later...
The building hits an iceberg and sinks.
Well, it _is_ known as "the Titanic on Peachtree," so...
@rapheAltoid77, is it really? Interesting.
That doesn't mean what you think it means. Absolutely fireproof is an insurance term that means that the structure of the building is made with fireproof materials (concrete and steel, or brick) and won't collapse if the building catches fire. Compared with wooden structures. The fact that the building didn't collapse, well it did exactly what a fireproof building should.
@@KibuFoxOkay that's good information, but what do you think the average person would think when seeing that claim of fireproof in a building's advertising? I don't think it would be your insurance term's definition. And I highly doubt that any building back then ever put that definition in their literature as a caveat.
@@eywine.7762 The average person today would be ignorant to it and make assumptions without bothering to google a term that they don't understand.
A person back then when the structure was built, were well aware that a fireproof building meant the building was safer because, in the event of a fire, the building wouldn't collapse on them, as others which were built with wood structural components, had in recent memory.
You really do about the best job on TH-cam of succinctly giving us information in a great way. We learned in speech class..tell them what you’re going to tell them, tell them, tell them what you told them. Most videos on TH-cam just never get to the point and just ramble on for 40+ minutes. You do a perfect job in 10-15 minutes. Always enjoy your videos! Thanks!
Arnold didn't make excuses for private business or claim 'things are how they are" he made a difference. Be like Arnold.
Your videos are truly Fascinating and sadly “horror” stories. Thank you for sharing!
Another great job. That young man should have been made a civic hero for his actions. So very glad he got the Pulitzer for his photo. Cheers Pat in New Jersey
Thanks for posting this real-life towering inferno story. The efforts of the fire department were heroic; too bad they were notified so late.
I love these videos, I tune in every Tuesday, for years. This morning I woke to the tragedy in my beloved Baltimore, and it just feels so eerie coming to this page, knowing it may very well be on this channel soon..
Me too...
Thanks for this post. I read the book of which you reference. The Winecoff Hotel fire remains the deadliest hotel fire in US history. Let us pray it is never surpassed.
Always very interesting, keep up the amazing work.
One stairwell in the centre of the building? That's a death trap.
Just like Grenfell Tower... Just one stairwell...
And with no doors - otherwise known as a chimney.
The basic principle of an incinerator.
That's a chimney
@@mikesmith-po8nd Easy access to the stairwell for guests.... and for fire.
This channel makes me thankful that I have not stayed in a hotel in years.
Look into the Wenona hotel in bay city Michigan. It happened in the 1940s and many people died. It was a big fancy hotel at the time.
Wow, you absolutely provide some of the most interesting and insightful mini documentaries on important historical events that changed the way things are done today. You package your videos in a very informative and brilliant way. Thank you so much for the great content!
I wonder why the bellboy in the beginning didn’t use the hotel room’s telephone to call 911?
Arnold’s choice to take the photos was bold and risky if Daisy had died.
The fact that he was arrested for helping the police get into the pharmacy seems ridiculous
This was before 911 was implemented. He'd have to memorize the local fire department or police numbers. COnsidering the state of the hotel's fire safety procedures, memorizing likely wasn't a requirement.
I don't think they had 911 back then but I think the local fire and police numbers were sometimes in a sticker on the phone in hotels.
@@sharonsmith583You're right; 911 has only been around for ~50 years.
It took until 1968 for 911 to be a thing
It is probable that the room phones could only contact reception and that to make an outside call you'd have to phone down to reception and ask them to dial the number and connect you.
I can’t imagine the terror of being in a burning high-rise myself
Thank you so much for another awesome video!!! I always look forward to when you upload.
Excellent video as usual. Entertaining and informative 👍
Those photographs put chills down my spine.
For over 20 years, I lived just a couple blocks away from this hotel. For years before I moved and many years while I lived there, it stood empty, derelict. People talked about the property being cursed, since every tenant that went in there left. Finally, probably 10 years ago, it was completely renovated into a nice hotel called The Ellis. A historic marker stands out front.
it was the Peachtree Hotel from 1951-'67 and a Baptist home for the elderly till '81. it was then empty till renovations began for the Ellis, which opened in 2007.
It always brightens my day when I realize there's a new video out! You always do such a great job of covering the scenarios.
I always look forward to a Tuesday morning video by FH
Always makes my mornings! Love your work!
Thank you so much for your wonderful vocal delivery, enunciate and pace of delivery. I am hearing impaired and while I watch wearing my hearing aids, I still also use closed captioning to pick up every word. With your delivery, I don’t need CC because I pick up every word with no problem! It’s things like this that creators rarely think of. So thanks from the hearing impaired community!
I grew up in Atlanta, and I am very familiar with the exact location of the building, on Peachtree Street. Such a horrible tragedy, but as with many of the Fascinating Horror documentaries, it led to better future regulation. Thank goodness for the young man who took the photos and had the courage to break into the pharmacy, regardless of the legal consequences. He was a true hero.
marvelous video as always! Thank you very very much!!
If there's one thing I've learnt from this channel, never enter a building that claims to be fireproof!
That doesn't mean what you think it means. Absolutely fireproof is an insurance term that means that the structure of the building is made with fireproof materials (concrete and steel, or brick) and won't collapse if the building catches fire. Compared with wooden structures. The fact that the building didn't collapse, well it did exactly what a fireproof building should.
@KibuFox I doubt that the general public understands that distinction when an establishment advertises it's premises as fireproof.
The term was a gross exaggeration. It meant only that a structure wouldn't _fall down_ if it caught fire. It said nothing about survivability of life or the safety of the contents.
Here in Ames, IA, a great object lesson was posed by the Iowa State College Armory. Built of concrete and steel in 1920, it was considered "safe" enough that no fire precautions like sprinklers or standpipes were needed.
Sure enough, the unoccupied Armory burned to a hulk one night in 1922. The replacement Armory included all modern fire prevention technology. It still stands today.
I absolutely love your content. Thank you! 💜
There was a bridge collapse in Baltimore, Maryland, USA this morning
As an architect, the one silver lining to these sorts of tragedies is that building codes with regards to life safety are extremely stringent nowadays. Number of exits required based on occupancy, exit separation distance, fire ratings of exterior and interior walls, the list goes on and on. They say rules are written in blood, but the caveat is that (theoretically) we learn from each tragedy and continue to improve our rules and regulations to prevent further ones from happening.
Towering inferno. Terrifying stuff.
My mom works at a near-century old wooden elementary school. She told me that the school had recently been fitted with 'fire safety windows' to which my immediate first thought was; Oh! Easily opened in case of fire so people can escape!
Imagine my face when the next words out of her mouth were "they don't open"
Apparently the idea is that they can't be opened as to prevent the surge of oxygen to fuel any potential fire, but like, what use is that if every available exit is blocked by the stuff?
Attended my late Fathers WW2 unit reunion the early mid 70’s in Colorado Springs, CO. This was the same Summer that ‘The Towering Inferno’ appeared on movie screens. I do not like heights, even to this day, & the realization we were staying on the 14th floor of the hotel w/nothing but a concrete plaza outside on the ground; made me a very, very unhappy camper.
Wow! I've lived my whole life here in Atlanta - walked past that building so many times - and I've never heard about this! Fascinating, as always, thank you for your awesome journalism 💚🙏🕊
I knew there was a reason I was up at 3am PST
Yasssss
Those photographs were stunning and shocking to see
Wow, I've walked past that hotel several times on trips to Atlanta and had no idea of its history!
Watching this the same day tha Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed in Baltimore. Have a sad feeling I’ll be seeing a video like this covering what happened there.
These stories are so dope thanks man
Reminds me a lot of the Pioneer Hotel fire in Tucson, Arizona, in December, 1970. It was eerily similar to this fire.
I’ve been watching you forever. This episode was absolutely… yes I’m going to say it for the first time… FASCINATING. I watched twice.
Engineering has basically allowed death traps to be made when it comes to high rise buildings. Idk how we don't require high rise buildings to include emergency options. Such as clip in attachments for rappelling out each individual residence.. It's too common we see fire breaks out and people have no option to escape because smoke and fire blocks the internal stairways. So engineers gotta find something new to do and add to improve this reoccurring issue
Fascinating story. Thanks so much!
You finally did it!!!!! Thank you 🙏
Happy Tuesday everyone!
I wonder if a time traveler would be more shocked at how fast the interior caught fire or the movie "Song of the South" 😂
There's a plaque remembering the Winecoff hotel and fire just next to the Peachtree Center MARTA station entrance with the longest escalator in the southeastern US.
Having stayed in some older hotels in Atlanta I noticed various later fire protection measures. I used to often stay at the Highland Inn and the later fitting of a sprinkler system was obvious plus gravity sliding closing fire doors held open by a chain with fusible link.
I did once stay at the Ellis Hotel but was not aware of the building's history. It was a brief stay for a medical appointment in town.
Great telling of a story I had never heard before. Thanks!!!
It's really weird how the fire started. A small pile of furniture sitting out in the hallway, I hope it wasn't arson but it definitely sounds suspicious. It doesn't even sound like it was smoldering, it could've been some now banned flammable material but it went up extremely fast.
My father was one of the news photographers that covered this for Atlanta newspapers. He was traumatized for a long time by what he saw.
I know that hotel well. Point of fact a few friends and I almost got ejected from the Ritz Carlton across the corner from there way back when I was in school. It's a lovely part of town and very verrrrrry upscale.
I hope you cover this story in the future. The Francis Scott Key bridge 🌉 in Baltimore, MD collapsed earlier today. I live not too far from Baltimore.
I just saw the video footage of that, it’s horrible…
I can already hear the narration.
"On the 26th of March, 2024..."
Great video. Finally one I haven't heard about.
Hello! Love your videos!