DETROIT (WWJ) -- An abandoned building sits in a prominent spot on Cass Avenue in Detroit’s Midtown neighborhood, boarded up and nondescript.
So why do people believe the ghost of Harry Houdini still walks the halls there?
On a recent spooky episode of The Daily J podcast, WWJ’s Zach Clark and Annie Scaramuzzino told the tale of Houdini's death in Detroit on Halloween almost 100 years ago — and discovered some eerie facts along the way.
Many of the key locations where Houdini spent his final days no longer exist in the city of Detroit. The Garrick Theatre — where he played his last show before his death on Oct. 31, 1926 — used to sit at 1122 Griswold Street, across from where the Lafayette and American coney islands are located today. The theatre was demolished in early 1929.
Additionally, Grace Hospital, where Houdini passed away following complications from acute appendicitis, was located at Willis and John R., but was knocked down in 1979. The land eventually become what is now the Detroit Medical Center.
But one important place that played a key role in the story of Houdini’s death still remains — and that’s the building that housed the W.R. Hamilton Funeral Home in the Cass Corridor.
Following his passing, Houdini was taken to the funeral home to be prepared for travel. One story says that the famed illusionist was even placed in a coffin that he had planned to use as a prop for one of his escape acts.
He was then transported by train from Michigan Central Station in Detroit to New York City for his widely-attended funeral.
In the years that followed, the W.R. Hamilton Funeral Home closed, and was later used as a punk club for a time.
Then, in 1981, it was bought by Detroit's Art Center Music School, and students and faculty later reported sightings of Houdini’s spirit in the halls.
Perhaps the most famous story came from one of the school’s most dedicated employees, receptionist Juanita Hammond, who had worked for the organization for many years.
Courtesy of Metro Times, Hammond said she was working late in the building one Halloween night when she felt the temperature drop and a presence nearby. She then looked up to find who appeared to be Harry Houdini standing right in front of her.
Hammond apparently experienced the same phenomena in the years that followed, always on Halloween — the anniversary of Houdini’s death.
For many decades, seances have been held in an attempt to summon the spirit of Houdini on Halloween night.
In 1927, the year after his death, Houdini’s wife Bess began holding an annual séance to make contact with her late husband; something they had apparently discussed prior to his passing.
In the decade that followed, Bess held the séances each year on Oct. 31, but she was never able to make any significant contact with his spirit.
Still, séances continue to be held by admirers of Houdini around the world on Halloween — having taken place locally at Detroit’s Masonic Temple, and the American Museum of Magic in Marshall, Mich.
So the next time you’re in the Cass Corridor, take a walk by 3975 Cass Avenue and observe a forgotten Detroit landmark that played a crucial role in the final days of Harry Houdini.
You might just witness a little magic in the process...