Entry No. 7 — the Atlanta file — filed under: forgotten disaster
The Ellis Hotel (former Winecoff Hotel)
This boutique hotel occupies the shell of the 1913 Winecoff, advertised in its day as 'fireproof' because of its steel structure — but it had only one central stairway and no fire escapes. On December 7, 1946, a blaze there killed 119 people, including 30 teenagers in town for a YMCA youth conference, making it still the deadliest hotel fire in U.S. history. Crews restoring the building for its 2007 reopening reported tools going missing and turning up in other rooms overnight.
The story
In 1913, the 15-story Winecoff Hotel went up on Peachtree Street, billed to the public as "absolutely fireproof." Its steel structure and brick exterior were indeed non-combustible, but the interior was packed with wood, burlap wall coverings, and cloth drapes. Worse, the architecture contained a single lethal flaw: a central staircase serving all 15 floors with zero fire doors, no sprinkler system, and no exterior fire escapes. Before dawn on December 7, 1946, a fire broke out on the third floor. The central stairwell instantly acted as a chimney, channeling intense heat and suffocating smoke upward and trapping all 304 occupants above. By morning, 119 people had died—including 30 high school students in town for a YMCA youth assembly and the hotel's namesake original owner, W.F. Winecoff. It remains the deadliest hotel fire in American history, forcing a complete revolution in nationwide fire codes.
The horror of that night was captured by Arnold Hardy, a 24-year-old Georgia Tech graduate student who arrived with five flashbulbs and snapped a photo of 41-year-old Daisy McCumber plunging feet-first from an upper window. The image won the 1947 Pulitzer Prize for Photography, and though McCumber miraculously survived her fall, the picture came to define the catastrophe. The building sat vacant or repurposed for decades until a major overhaul led to its 2007 reopening as the boutique Ellis Hotel. During that renovation, construction crews reported uncanny disruptions: heavy tools left in locked rooms would vanish overnight, only to turn up neatly arranged on entirely different floors. Today, staff and guests still whisper about phantom smoke smells, flickering lights, and quiet anomalies in the halls.
What it's like
Arriving at 176 Peachtree Street, you find a polished, modern boutique hotel with little obvious trace of its dark past inside the lobby. Stop by the ground-floor bar for a drink, then take a discreet walk outside to the side of the building near the MARTA Peachtree Center entrance—management moved the historical plaque detailing the 1946 disaster away from the main entrance after it unnerved incoming guests. If you stay overnight, expect sleek, comfortable accommodations, but don't be shocked if you encounter subtle quirks like unexplained temperature dips or elevators acting up in the small hours.
The move: Get a drink at the ground-floor bar or book a room, then look up the Pulitzer-winning photo of a survivor's fall from that night before you head up in the elevator.
- 📍 Downtown Atlanta
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 176 Peachtree St NW, Atlanta, GA 30303
Hours: Added 2026-07-19 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- Trader Vic's — Walk three blocks north down Peachtree Street to process the hotel's heavy history over tiki drinks in a windowless basement bar.
- Folk Art Park — Stroll half a mile east to see highway concrete embankments transformed into an outdoor sanctuary of folk art.
- Rhodes Hall ("the Castle on Peachtree") — Head 2.6 miles north up Peachtree Street to compare downtown's darkest historical tragedy with Midtown's famous haunted 1904 stone castle.
Good to know
Why was the Winecoff Hotel advertised as 'fireproof'?
Its steel frame and concrete structure were fire-resistant, but its combustible furnishings, lack of sprinklers, and absence of fire escapes made the building interior extremely dangerous when a fire broke out.
What is the famous photograph associated with the 1946 fire?
Amateur photographer Arnold Hardy captured a picture of hotel guest Daisy McCumber jumping from an upper window. The photograph won the 1947 Pulitzer Prize, and McCumber survived the drop despite severe injuries.
Where is the Winecoff Hotel fire historical marker located?
The marker is located near the MARTA Peachtree Center station entrance on the side of the building, having been moved from the hotel's main Peachtree entrance.
What strange occurrences were reported during the building's restoration?
Crews preparing the hotel for its 2007 reopening as the Ellis Hotel repeatedly reported tools going missing overnight and reappearing in other rooms across the building.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Wikipedia · atlantaghosts.com · latimes.com
last checked: 2026-07-19