The Spaghetti Warehouse was a popular restaurant in its day (Creative Commons license attribution, photo courtesy Joel Salazar)
In its day, the Spaghetti Warehouse in downtown Houston was known for excellent cuisine. Now that it’s closed permanently, it’s perhaps best remembered for its ghosts.
The restaurant was located at 901 Commerce. It was once called the Desel-Boettcher Warehouse. It was built in the early 1900s to store fur pelts. The building also served as a produce warehouse and at one time a pharmaceuticals warehouse. The Spaghetti Warehouse restaurant bought the building in 1974.
The restaurant was furnished with millions of dollars of antiques. Included among them was a full-size Houston Avenue trolley car, a staircase from a European castle, a chandelier from New York’s Penn Station, and a grandfather clock from an English castle. The first floor was used for dining and the upstairs for special occasions and parties.
Some paranormal believers think that spirits are attached to an object and follow it wherever it goes.
One of the most popular ghost stories about the Spaghetti Warehouse involves a young pharmacist who worked at the pharmaceutical warehouse. While working late one night, he fell down an elevator shaft to his death. His wife was so distraught that she died of a broken heart less than a year later.
The pharmacist was said to pace back and forth in the downstairs men’s restroom. His wife’s spirit has been reported to tap guests on the shoulder and pull their hair, rearrange the furniture, and leave dishes and silverware in disarray.
Diners have said that they seen floating objects or orbs and felt unexplained cool and clammy breezes.
One waitress said that she watched a floating wicker basket near the wooden staircase set back down on the floor. Another waitress said that when she worked upstairs she had trouble keeping her shoelaces tied, even when she double- and triple-tied them. Other employees heard voices of children near the urn cabinet. This cabinet is the kind of furniture used in orphanages that didn’t have a place to bury their deceased children.
A few years ago, I enjoyed a dinner with a group of ladies upstairs at the Spaghetti Warehouse. Unfortunately, I didn’t experience any paranormal sightings or feelings.
During Hurricane Harvey in August 2017, the flood waters rose to the second floor of the restaurant. Due to massive damage, the Spaghetti Warehouse closed permanently and its furnishings were auctioned.
Whether the ghosts remained depends on whether you believe in them.
