The Spaghetti Warehouse
The restaurant opened in 1974, a new addition to a small series of chains around the state. However, this location was different. It was decorated with glamorous furnishings from around the world. The sky was nearly the limit due to the size of the building. A full-sized Houston Avenue trolley car sat in the dining area.
A staircase from a European castle led you up to the second floor, where special events took place. From the ceiling hung a chandelier that formerly sat in Penn Station. It was not easily forgotten after its closure in 2017.
Today a sports bar sits at 901 Commerce Street. The old furniture was auctioned off after the storm, and the building was repurposed in 2019. But the stories of strange sounds and moving objects on the second floor persisted.
The Pharmacist
The most commonly reported ghost at The Spaghetti Warehouse is that of a former pharmacist and his wife. While at work late one night, a poor, young pharmacist fell down an elevator shaft.
After realizing he hadn’t come home, his wife rushes to the warehouse to find him dead at the bottom of the elevator shaft, the fall had instantly broken his neck. She lives her life in agony until succumbing to a broken heart less than a year later.
Visitors to the men’s room, not far from the old elevator, see his apparition pacing back and forth. Most of his activity is exerted in the basement, where his final moments once flashed before his eyes.
One former waiter describes going down into the basement after a major flood to find all the tables and chairs neatly stacked in one corner with no sign of a break-in. Chairs often vibrate down there, according to the waiter, and an eerie presence is felt.
The Pharmacist’s Wife is even more active than her deceased husband. She ties the shoes of employees together, taps on the shoulders of unsuspecting guests, and makes a mess in the kitchen. Silverware and dishes are often found in disarray and flung across the room. One waiter reported watching a wicker basket even float down from the second floor.
Houston’s Haunted Downtown
The Spaghetti Factor is gone, replaced with McIntyre’s Downtown, but the spirits are surely still there. 901 Commerce Street is a major stop on any Haunted Houston tour. Take one of our guided tours to learn from the best! US Ghost Adventures provides you with a fun, interactive route and an experienced tour guide to lead the way!
Read our blog for more information on scary spots across the United States, and keep up with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Tik Tok!
Sources:
https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/The-haunting-of-Spaghetti-Warehouse-Reality-or-9987968.php
https://kathymslaughter.com/2018/04/19/the-haunted-spaghetti-warehouse/
https://www.hauntedrooms.com/texas/houston/haunted-places/spaghetti-warehouse
https://www.houstonarchitecture.com/haif/topic/13839-desel-boettcher-warehouse-at-901-commerce-st/
https://thetab.com/us/uh/2016/10/27/haunted-houston-507
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https://www.houston.org/timeline#:~:text=Houston%20in%20the%201910s&text=The%2025%2Dfoot%2Ddeep%20Houston,is%20completed%20and%20formally%20dedicated.&text=First%20deepwater%20vessel%2C%20the%20S.S.,Satilla%2C%20calls%20at%20Houston.&text=George%20Hermann%20donates%20285%20acres,public%20park%20near%20Rice%20Institute.
https://www.texasalmanac.com/articles/the-20th-century
https://houstonhistorymagazine.org/2010/12/houstons-first-ward-producing-food-from-farm-to-counter/