Building From Historic Doors Album Cover Damaged in Fire

A downtown Los Angeles building once made famous on the cover of a Doors album caught fire Thursday (Dec. 26) and needed over 100 firefighters to contain the blaze.

The site was famously captured for the cover of The Doors’ Morrison Hotel album, which was released in 1970. On the cover, the band’s members are seen posing inside a glass window with the moniker “Morrison Hotel” painted on the glass along with a sign noting $2.50 for a room.

About the Fire

Per local Los Angeles station KTLA, the blaze started at shortly before 11AM Thursday at 1246 S. Hope Street in downtown Los Angeles. It took an hour and a half for the over 100 firefighters to contain the fire, which had been designated by officials as “major emergency.”

The LAFD reported that 17 fire companies took part in extinguishing the fire.  Vacant for over 15, the building had been used as a training site for fire fighters, which gave the crews an advantage in navigating the structure fire. While some had already evacuated the building, fire fighters were able to rescue three others who had been inside.

The building had been purchased in 2023 by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation and was expected to be turned into an affordable housing complex.

The structure was heavily damaged. The roof collapsed leaving the structural integrity of the building in doubt. Two video reports on the fire can be viewed below.

KTLA 5 Report on Morrison Hotel Building Fire

LAFD Report on Morrison Hotel Building Fire

The Doors’ Morrison Hotel Photo Shoot

The famous album cover was shot by photographer Henry Diltz at the Morrison Hotel on South Hope Street in downtown L.A. The group had reportedly not been given permission to shoot at the transient hotel, so they patiently waited until the desk clerk had been called away, took a spot behind the window and the famous photo was captured.

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Morrison Hotel was The Doors’ fifth studio album. It peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 and has been certified platinum. The album is notable for the songs “Roadhouse Blues” and “Peace Frog.”