Haunted hotel guide · Dallas, Texas

The Haunted Hotel Lawrence, Dallas: Room 1009 and the Ghosts of the 10th Floor

Built in 1925 for rail passengers from Union Station, the old Hotel Lawrence has had more names than most hotels have owners. Its ghost stories have stayed the same: Room 1009 and the 10th floor.

By The Haunted Rooms Team · Updated November 2026 · How we rate hotels

2.5/5Haunted Rooms Score
1925Year opened
Room 1009Most requested room

Check availabilityMeet the ghosts

At 302 South Houston Street, across from Union Station in downtown Dallas, stands a 10-story brick hotel that opened in 1925 as the Scott Hotel. Over the following century it was the Lawrence, the Bradford, the Paramount, the Hotel Lawrence again, a La Quinta, and today the Holiday Inn Express Dallas Downtown, an IHG hotel. To ghost hunters it has always been the Hotel Lawrence.

Its reputation rests on the 10th floor, and above all on Room 1009, where a gangster called Jack “Smiley” Jackson is said to have been murdered and is said to hold the door shut until you ask him nicely to move. Here are the stories, what can and cannot be checked, and what to expect if you stay.

Hotel Lawrence at a glance

2.5/5
Haunted Rooms Score
Haunted reputation3
History3
Ghost hunter access1
$ · Under $150No pets
  • Address 302 S Houston St, Dallas, TX 75202
  • Opened 1925, as the Scott Hotel
  • Most haunted spots Room 1009 and the 10th floor, the second floor (former casino), the lobby, the basement
  • Best-known ghosts Jack “Smiley” Jackson, a woman who fell from the 10th floor, a congressman, a gambler
  • Booking the haunted room Room 1009 is a standard room. Book normally and ask for it, or for any 10th-floor room
  • Good to know Now a Holiday Inn Express: no pets (service animals welcome), free grab-and-go breakfast

Check availability

The ghosts of Holiday Inn Express Dallas Downtown (former Hotel Lawrence)

Jack "Smiley" Jackson of Room 1009

The hotel’s best-known ghost is Jack “Smiley” Jackson, a gangster said to have been murdered in Room 1009, usually placed in the 1930s. Guests say the door to the room sometimes refuses to open, as if someone is leaning on it from the other side, until they politely ask Smiley to get out of the way. Then it swings open.

Smiley is a fixture of Dallas ghost lore and turns up in Visit Dallas’s own list of haunted hotels. We could not find a contemporary newspaper report of his death, so his story should be treated as legend.

Mr. Brookshire and the towel

Room 1009 has a second story. Some years after Smiley, the tale goes, a man named Mr. Brookshire was found in the same room with his throat cut. One guest later reported waking to the sensation of a towel being wrapped around their neck, which storytellers link to Brookshire. As with Smiley, no record of the death has been found.

The woman and the congressman of the 10th floor

Two more deaths are tied to the 10th floor. A woman is said to have fallen, or been pushed, from a 10th-floor window, and a congressman is said to have taken his own life while staying on the same floor. Guests on the floor report shadows moving in the hallway and in their rooms, the sound of someone crying, cold spots and a heavy, oppressive feeling.

The death of a sitting congressman in a Dallas hotel would have made national news, and no such report has turned up, so this part of the legend may have drifted from somewhere else. Many of these stories have been repeated online for years, including on an earlier version of this page, which is often cited as the source.

The gambler of the second floor

In the hotel’s early years, the story goes, a casino ran on the second floor. Guests and staff have described a somber, well-dressed man wandering that floor’s hallways, perhaps a gambler still trying to win back what he lost.

Footsteps in the lobby and carts in the basement

Late at night, staff have reported the sound of high heels crossing the empty lobby. In the basement, laundry carts are said to roll by themselves and doors to open and close with nobody near them. Voices in empty rooms and the feeling of being watched round out the list.

The most haunted rooms and places to look

  • Room 1009: The room tied to Smiley Jackson and Mr. Brookshire. It is a standard room, so book directly and ask for it, then ask again at check-in. If the door sticks, you know what to say.
  • Any 10th-floor room: Most reports come from the 10th floor, so if 1009 is taken, ask for anything on that floor.
  • Second-floor rooms: For the gambler story, ask for the second floor, where the casino is said to have been.

History of Holiday Inn Express Dallas Downtown (former Hotel Lawrence)

The hotel opened in 1925 as the Scott Hotel, built to house passengers arriving at Union Station, which had opened across the street in 1916. Its location, at the edge of the West End and a few blocks from what is now Dealey Plaza, made it a natural stopover for rail travelers.

Like downtown Dallas itself, the hotel went through hard times after the railroad era. It traded as the Lawrence for a period, then in February 1981 Kerr Cos. of Minneapolis reopened it as the Bradford. The Edward J. Safdie Group refurbished it before the 1984 Republican National Convention in Dallas, and a later owner, Dallas Hotel Associates, renamed it the Paramount.

In October 2000 Big D Hotel Associates bought the building and began a $4 million top-to-bottom restoration covering the facade, lobby, meeting rooms and guest rooms. It was renamed the Hotel Lawrence in August 2001, with 108 guest rooms and 10 suites, and became one of the better-known small historic hotels downtown.

In 2013 an investment company owned by hotelier Mehul Patel bought the hotel and renovated it again. It later became La Quinta Inn & Suites Dallas Downtown, and a La Quinta representative said the renovation replaced nearly the entire interior. It now trades as the Holiday Inn Express Dallas Downtown, an IHG hotel with 127 rooms, though the 1925 building and its name in ghost lore remain.

Tips for a haunted stay

  • Search for “Holiday Inn Express Dallas Downtown” when booking. The Hotel Lawrence name is no longer used, but the address is the same.
  • Request Room 1009 or the 10th floor when you book and again at check-in. Requests are not guaranteed.
  • Pets are not allowed (service animals are welcome), which is a change from the old Hotel Lawrence policy.
  • Parking downtown can be awkward. Confirm options with the hotel before you arrive, or come by DART or train to Union Station across the street.
  • Walk to Dealey Plaza and the Sixth Floor Museum, then head to the Adolphus for a drink in another of Dallas’s haunted hotels.

Want to investigate, not just sleep?

Sleeping in a haunted hotel is one thing. Investigating one after dark is another. On a Haunted Rooms ghost hunt our team takes you through the building with professional ghost hunting equipment, runs EVP sessions and lets you explore on your own during free roam.

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Frequently asked questions

Is the Hotel Lawrence in Dallas haunted?

It is one of the best-known haunted hotels in Dallas. Guests report a door in Room 1009 that will not open, shadows and crying on the 10th floor, footsteps in the lobby and carts moving in the basement.

What is the most haunted room at the Hotel Lawrence?

Room 1009, where gangster Jack “Smiley” Jackson is said to have been murdered. Guests say he holds the door shut until asked politely to move.

What is the Hotel Lawrence called now?

It is the Holiday Inn Express Dallas Downtown, an IHG hotel at the same address, 302 S Houston St. It was previously a La Quinta Inn & Suites, and opened in 1925 as the Scott Hotel.

Is the Hotel Lawrence still open?

Yes, the building operates as the Holiday Inn Express Dallas Downtown and takes bookings.

Who was Smiley Jackson?

According to hotel legend, a gangster murdered in Room 1009, usually said to be in the 1930s. No newspaper record of his death has been found, so he is best treated as part of the hotel’s folklore.

Sources

Facts on this page are checked against the hotel’s own website, historic records and news coverage. Ghost stories are reported as guests, staff and local historians tell them. Read how we rate haunted hotels.

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About the authors

The Haunted Rooms Team runs public ghost hunts and overnight investigations at historic venues across the United States. We research every hotel in our guides using hotel histories, local archives, news coverage and the accounts of guests and staff, and we review each guide regularly so you are not booking a hotel that has closed or changed its name. Spotted something out of date? Let us know.

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