Vancouver Ghost Stories: Red Lion Hotel

Welcome to another edition of Vancouver Ghost Stories, where I spotlight local hauntings each week in the month of October. The first two stories, which can be found here and here, involved ghostly appearances by spirits not thought to be associated with tragedies that occurred within the walls of the building. This week’s story is a little different.

Photo credit: Haunted Vancouver by Pat Jollota

When I arrived in Vancouver earlier this year, demolition of the Red Lion Inn on the waterfront was underway. Much of the structure visible from the street north of the hotel revealed a shabby exterior; it was clearly a building that had seen better days. The hotel opened as the Thunderbird Inn at the Quay in 1960, and I imagine that it was quite the glamorous spot with its expansive view of the Columbia River. The hotel became part of the Thunderbird/Red Lion chain in the early 1970s and was renamed the Red Lion Inn. In 1975, it was the scene of a murder.

Marcia Elaine Patterson, a 46-year old waitress that resided in the McLoughlin Heights neighborhood of Vancouver, was shot to death by her estranged husband Jackie Patterson in a room at the rear of the hotel on September 17, 1975. Patterson wrapped his wife’s body in a bedsheet, placed it in the trunk of his car and proceeded to drive around town the remainder of the night. The next morning, he parked his car downtown at 5th and Main and turned himself in to police. Although he shot Marcia twice in the chest, he claimed the shooting to be accidental and was acquitted.

Over the years, many guests and employees of the hotel have reported sightings of a mysterious woman in Room 160, which was the scene of the crime. One guest attested to seeing a woman in a glittering evening gown at the foot of his bed late one night, only to disappear when he turned on the light. A housekeeper claimed to see a woman sitting on the bed when she entered the room, then similarly vanishing when she re-entered to continue cleaning. Although Marcia Patterson has good reason to haunt the site of her slaying to avenge her death, there have been no reports to indicate that this is a malevolent spirit.

Demolition is now complete, and the site is awaiting redevelopment to a 40,000-square foot public market. More information on this development can be found here. Maybe the spirit of Marcia Patterson is at peace now that the hotel is gone.

References:

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