The historic Morrison Hotel, made famous by The Doors‘ 1970 album of the same name, was destroyed by a fire on Thursday (December 26th). The four-story structure in downtown Los Angeles had been technically vacant for more than a decade, although it is believed several dozen squatters were occupying the 110-year-old building.
The massive blaze burned for roughly two hours until it was brought under control by more than 100 firefighters. Most of the people who were in the building exited safely, while three people were rescued via fire escapes. There were no reported injuries.
Morrison Hotel was the fifth album released by The Doors, and includes such songs as “Roadhouse Blues” and “Peace Frog.” The cover artwork features frontman Jim Morrison and company inside the hotel, looking out the lobby window, as photographed by Henry Diltz.
In 2020, Diltz recounted the shoot, writing on social media, “The Doors didn’t have permission to take pictures, so when the lobby was empty, they ran in quickly and sat behind the window. One roll of film shot before we got asked to leave.”
When reached for comment about the fire, Diltz told CBS News Los Angeles that he was “very sad” to hear the news, adding, “I hope somebody will rebuild it.”
The building was purchased in 2022 by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, with plans to transform it into affordable housing. Fire officials will now determine if the structure is salvageable.
See a news report on the Morrison Hotel fire, including an interview with photographer Henry Diltz, below.