Haunted Drury Plaza Hotel, Santa Fe

Situated at the intersection of Paseo de Peralta and Palace Museum in Santa Fe, a building steeped in history and hauntings stands prominently. Known for its various medical roles since 1865, the site’s latest incarnation is the Drury Plaza Hotel.

Originally built in the 1950’s as St. Vincent Hospital, it functioned as a medical facility until the late 1970’s and gained a reputation for being haunted, particularly its basement and third floor.

The building’s eerie history is punctuated by numerous ghostly tales. One such story involves a hospital worker who, intending to go to the third floor, found himself inexplicably taken to the basement by an elevator.

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Despite his efforts to leave, the doors refused to close until he stepped out, after which they promptly shut and the elevator ascended without him. He then experienced a chilling sensation of being watched, accompanied by a shadowy presence that seemed to follow him, leading to a panicked escape and a subsequent accident.

In the darkness of the basement, known for its gloomy ambiance even in daylight, local lore suggests it’s a hotspot for adventurous “Legend Trippers.” The space, rumored to store Native American artifacts, including items from burial sites, is believed by many to be haunted by the spirits of restless Native Americans.

Over the years, numerous hospital staff, including nurses and aides, have reported various paranormal occurrences. These range from seeing apparitions to experiencing unexplained phenomena.

One notable incident involved a nurse named Maryclare Henebry, who encountered a mysterious Hispanic man dressed in old-style clothing on the third floor. This apparition, who initially seemed corporeal, vanished before her eyes. Later, Henebry witnessed the same figure chasing a floating female spirit down the hallway.

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Another haunting aspect of the building’s history involves the basement being used by nursing home staff as an initiation for new employees, challenging them to navigate the eerie space alone.

However, this practice was abandoned after a series of unsettling incidents, including a Nurse Coordinator discovering what appeared to be blood on a wall in a storage room, a space once used to cremate amputated limbs and organs.

The building’s renovation by Drury Hotels preserved its historical essence while transforming it into a modern hotel.

The Drury Plaza Hotel, having opened in 2014, encapsulates this blend of history and contemporary hospitality, offering guests a unique stay steeped in the rich, albeit haunting, legacy of its past.