According to authorities, a fire on Thursday destroyed the historic Los Angeles structure that was featured on the cover of a 1970 record by the legendary music group The Doors.
The four-story downtown building, which was once known as the Morrison Hotel—a moniker that bore the family name of band singer Jim Morrison—was already in a state of disrepair, and the fire made it even worse.
The album cover for “Morrison Hotel” included a picture of the band, including the hell-raising leader Morrison, with the hotel’s name hand-painted on the background. Although it peaked at number four on Billboard’s album chart in 1970, the release was not a hit.
According to a statement from the Los Angeles Fire Department, the historic structure on South Hope Street was “destroyed.” It describes the building’s deterioration and mentions that the 1914 Beaux Arts building was red-tagged at some point prior to the fire, which lasted for more than 90 minutes. According to the department, it was utilized for firefighter training during the more than 15 years that it was abandoned.
Police detectives from the Major Crimes Division and fire department arson investigators are looking into the cause, but their involvement is not always a sign that arson is suspected, according to LAFD spokesman Margaret Stewart on Friday.
She said that “due to the nature of the fire,” the inquiry was routinely staffed in this manner.
According to a statement from the LAFD, firemen assisted three other persons in escaping, and several dozen people were evacuated from various floors within the generally off-limits structure. According to Stewart, a follow-up search turned up no corpses and no injuries.
According to Los Angeles County records, the site was sold in 2023 after the city proposed redeveloping it into 420,303 square feet of residential, hotel, eating, and drinking space.
According to a city historic resources file, the E-shaped structure is qualified for the California Register of Historical Resources but might not meet the requirements for the National Register of Historic Places due to modifications.
The frequently told tale of the album’s cover states that a hotel employee turned down the band’s request to take a picture, but Henry Diltz managed to get the photograph when the employee momentarily left his post. The Hard Rock Cafe, a neighboring pub at the time, was depicted on the back cover.
According to the LAFD, the L.A. Department of Building and Safety is in charge of the structure’s immediate viability.
