The twelve story hotel was built in 1913, and has experienced haunting ever since then. The original owner of the hotel, Simon Benson, is often seen on the staircase, in the common room area and in the business offices on the lower levels of the hotel. The kindly ghost of a night porter assists those in need, then vanishes when done. The ghost of a lady in a white dress and a young boy roam the hallways and rooms of the hotel.
(Submitted by Callum Swift)
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Geographic Information
- Address:
- 309 Southwest Broadway
Portland, OR 97205
United States
Get Directions » - GPS:
- 45.5219007, -122.67849260000003
- County:
- Multnomah County, Oregon
- Nearest Towns:
- Portland, OR (0.2 mi.)
West Haven-Sylvan, OR (4.4 mi.)
West Haven, OR (4.4 mi.)
West Slope, OR (4.5 mi.)
Raleigh Hills, OR (4.9 mi.)
Milwaukie, OR (5.6 mi.)
Garden Home-Whitford, OR (5.6 mi.)
Cedar Hills, OR (5.9 mi.)
Maywood Park, OR (6.1 mi.)
Lents, OR (6.1 mi.)
Contact Information
- Web:
- http://www.coasthotels.com/hotels/oregon/portland/the-benson-hotel/
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Disclaimer: The stories posted here are user-submitted and are, in the nature of "ghost stories," largely unverifiable. HauntedPlaces.org makes no claims that any of the statements posted here are factually accurate. The vast majority of information provided on this web site is anecdotal, and as such, should be viewed in the same light as local folklore and urban legends.
I worked in the Benson for several years. Periodically a woman dressed as a maid in an old fashioned dress would be seen at the end of a hallway disappearing around the corner. Every time this would happen, there would be a near panic among the housekeeping staff who would refuse to work alone for weeks at a time, going from room to room in small groups until forced to stop by administration.
There is also an unreported shanghai tunnel in the basement hidden behind several locked storage areas. It doesn’t go back far before it is blocked by fallen brick. The Hotel will deny it’s existence because they don’t want to deal with the influx of tourists.
Lastly, I don’t know if it was the ghost of Benson, but as you walk up the grand staircase in the main lobby, you can often see a man dressed in an evening coat with hat and gloves standing in the lobby and reflected in the massive mirror there. When you turn around, he is not there. The theory is that because the mirror has a sterling silver backing, it reflects mysterious things. When I worked there, I was told not to talk about these things, but it has been many years now.