Meet & Greet at the Sainte Claire Hotel in San Jose

San Jose has plenty of haunt spots, but one of the most active places it has is probably the historic Sainte Claire Hotel. Located in the heart of downtown, San Jose’s “million dollar hotel” first opened in October 1926. The city was so proud of it the San Jose Mercury Herald dedicated a whole issue to it the week it opened.

This location had a history long before Thomas S. Montgomery, its original owner, broke the ground to build it in 1925. Before that, the Eagle Brewing Company had operated its manufactory on that site for around 70 years, closing in 1919 when the Prohibition was enacted. When Montgomery, who also owned the Montgomery Hotel on First Street, developed the property he spent $750,000 erecting the building and another $250,000 to equip and furnish it—quite impressive for a humble agricultural town in the 1920s. It was the premiere location for posh functions and saw many happy events. For what it was worth, it appears management minded the liquor laws, but opened its first lounge on the second floor when Prohibition was repealed in 1934. Some of its high profile guests have included Judy Garland, Clark Gable, and Joe Dimaggio. John F. Kennedy stayed there while campaigning in 1960, so he could make an appearance at St. James Park.

Through the decades it went through a series of owners and gradually deteriorated with the neighborhood until the building dissolved into a seedy hovel. At that point, it was being used as a low income seniors' residence. A couple of fourth floor guests died and one was even rumored to have been murdered. A chambermaid was raped in one of the rooms, overtaken while she was working. Stephen Lin bought the property in 1980, intending to restore the hotel to its former glory. He ensured all of its long term residents found other places to live before moving them out; however, he mainly concentrated on restoring the public rooms and business was unsatisfactory. In 1988, the hotel closed.

In 1991, the building was rescued by Manou Mobedshahi, who bought it with the same intention as Lin had. Mobedshahi not only strived to restore the public rooms, but went to work on the sleeping rooms as well. It reopened in 1992 and was officially deemed a historic hotel of America. In 2005, Mobedshahi sold the property to the Larkspur chain. It is currently in the custody of the Marriott group.

According to the Historic Hotels of America website, Julia is the center point of the Sainte Claire’s official ghost legend. It is said that she planned her wedding there, but her fiancé jilted her at the altar. In the heat of her distress, she took her own life in the basement. Since then staffers claim to hear the footsteps of high heels on bare floors where there is now carpeting. Papers and files mysteriously rearrange in hotel offices. One photo was taken in the lobby lounge, showing the partial image of a bride—where only her feet and the end of her train are revealed in the background.

When the late Psychic Medium Annette Martin visited, she said she was dining with a group of friends at Il Fornaio when the figure of an older man began to manifest for her. She believes he was a retired sea captain who lived at the Sainte Claire during its days of being a low income senior residence. His apparition quickly dispersed, since it was too inconvenient for her to respond. The captain just wanted to make it clear that he was there.

When I talked to a bartender, he believes a ghost likes to play phone pranks with the staff, although he has no way to verify it. But, to echo the hotel’s legend, he said a photo was taken of a bride in one of the rooms and a mysterious face of someone who wasn’t there appeared in the background.

Please join BAGH when we meet at Il Fornaio in the Sainte Claire Hotel on May 30. We’ll have a meal, then have a little wander around the hotel. If there is sufficient interest, we can also do an impromptu ghost walk around downtown San Jose afterward.

BAGH hosts will be wearing their flashing ghost necklaces. Lunch is Dutch treat. Parking around Downtown San Jose can be a bit of a challenge. The Sainte Claire only offers valet parking, which can be pricy. There is a parking lot across the street on San Carlos, which charges. Street parking, if available, is likely the least expensive option.

I look forward to seeing and meeting any BAGH members there.

Adrienne