Capital Hotel

One of the finest historic hotels in the South, the Capital Hotel dates to 1870 and has hosted presidents and dignitaries throughout its history in downtown Little Rock.

The Capital Hotel stands at 111 West Markham Street in Little Rock, situated near the Old State House, Arkansas's first state capitol building. The structure began its life in 1872 not as a hotel but as the Denckla Block, a commercial building designed to house offices, shops, and gentlemen's apartments. It was built by William P. Denckla, a wealthy New York railroad tycoon who saw a business opportunity in nurturing commerce in the capital city of the growing state. One of the building's most notable features is its prefabricated cast-iron facade, built out of state and shipped to Arkansas — not merely decorative but a vital structural element of the original construction. The Denckla Block became a hotel in 1877 after the Metropolitan Hotel, Little Rock's only upscale establishment, burned on December 14, 1876. The building was closed, renovated by architect George Mann, and reopened in 1908 as the Capital Hotel. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

Two distinct spirits are said to haunt the Capital Hotel, both connected to the building's long history of construction and renovation. The first is the ghost of a laborer who died during one of the hotel's many renovation projects, his death reportedly involving a fall from scaffolding or an internal beam. He is described as a quiet, solitary presence who keeps mostly to himself, haunting the corridors without dramatic manifestation — footsteps in empty hallways and the occasional sensation of someone standing nearby in the darkness.

The second ghost is far more active. A young woman who fell to her death from one of the upper floors has become the hotel's most prolific spirit. She is reported to appear in guest rooms, sometimes visible as a full-bodied apparition and other times detected only by her effects — luggage moved across the room, belongings rearranged, and an unmistakable sense of being watched. Wailing and screaming have been heard in various locations throughout the building, attributed to this restless spirit.

Room 444 on the fourth floor has earned a particular reputation among staff. Housekeepers have reported lights flickering without electrical cause, a radio that turns on and off by itself — sometimes tuning to stations that produce only static — and vacuum cleaners that repeatedly come unplugged despite being firmly connected. Whispered voices have been heard in the room when it is unoccupied, and a male apparition has been seen walking into the bathroom before vanishing. Guests staying on the fourth floor have complained of hearing big band music playing late at night, insisting the sound came from above them — despite the fourth floor being the building's top level. A former employee noted that the corridors on the fourth floor are perpetually hazy, as though filled with a light smoke, an effect that could not be attributed to the hotel's designated smoking rooms.

The Capital Hotel underwent a major restoration and reopened in 2007 as a luxury boutique hotel. The renovation preserved the cast-iron facade and period details while modernizing the interior, but the spirits appear to have survived the transition. The hotel is included on Little Rock ghost tours and maintains its reputation as one of the most haunted hotels in Arkansas.