28 January 2023 , 19:18
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Eeerie photos of what was once the most expensive hotel suite in the world have revealed that it has been left frozen in time since mysteriously closing to the public.
The Celestial Suite, which hosted some of the world's biggest celebrities from the King of Rock and Roll to the President of the United States, still looms over the US city of Houston, Texas.
The penthouse was the brainchild of ex-mayor Roy Hofheinz, who was building a Disneyland-style resort called the Astrodomain.
The resort boasted the Astroworld theme park, a huge stadium called the Astrodome — nicknamed the “Eighth Wonder of the World” — and a quartet of hotels.
The hotel was formerly part of the Astrodomain resort (Credit: Pen News)Overlooking it all was the Celestial Suite, where guests like President Lyndon Johnson, Frank Sinatra, Muhammad Ali and Michael Jackson stayed in style atop the Astroworld Hotel.
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Harper Goff, the Oscar-winning set designer and Disneyland visionary, was hired to fill the interiors with antique furniture, Tiffany glass and 24-carat gold.
Multiple themed bedrooms, a two-storey nightclub, a library, and dining room were just some of its features, all served by a private elevator.
The 'Bird Cage' dining room still features decadent gold mirrors (Credit: Lance Bradford/Pen News)It was so opulent that one guest, Elvis Presley, was said to have found it “too gaudy”.
It was recorded as the most expensive suite in the world by the Guinness Book of Records in 1977, costing $2,500 a night.
The hotel itself remains in operation under the Wyndham brand, but the penthouse seems to have been closed to overnight guests since the 1990s.
The 'Tarzan' room, which was reportedly Michael Jackson's favourite (Credit: Lance Bradford/Pen News)But new eerie photos have shown that its interiors remain “remarkably well preserved” – like a time capsule from the 1960s.
Urban explorer Lance Bradford was able to photograph the suite, capturing its faded majesty in haunting new images.
The 'Crusader' room still has all of its ornate furniture (Credit: Lance Bradford/Pen News)In his pictures — which he posts to his Instagram — the beds are still made, the library remains well-stocked with books, and the chairs still sit around the kitchen table.
He said: “It is not at all open to the public. It's not exactly locked away behind bars but to get inside you need to think ‘creatively’ let’s say.
The Victorian room looks untouched (Credit: Lance Bradford/Pen News)“The decor is late sixties and has not been touched at all, as far as I know, although the hotel itself has gone through several iterations and owners.
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“I can only imagine the top floor has been preserved because it was either prohibitively expensive to have it all torn out, or the owner has plans to possibly cash in on the nostalgia of the era.”
The Roman bath sits empty (Credit: Lance Bradford/Pen News)He continued: “The furniture, fixtures, flooring and even the books in the library are remarkably well preserved.
“It's not like most of the 60-year-old buildings I have photographed.
“There is no water damage, or the type of warping and cracking normally caused by the oppressive Houston humidity.
“The windows have been kept sealed and the air circulation system is functional so the heat hasn’t been a factor either. It's incredibly rare to find something like that.”
The marble library still has its books (Credit: Lance Bradford/Pen News)Hofheinz, known as “The Judge”, lived in the suite from its completion in 1969 until 1973, when he was spooked by a fire two floors below, and moved to a mansion.
He died from a heart attack in 1982, aged 70.
When the suite closed is unclear, though there are clues.
The hotel is still operating today but the suite is closed (Credit: Pen News)PaperCity Magazine discovered that it was available for $5,500 a night in November 1996, citing a Houston Chronicle article.
The magazine added that the penthouse’s private nightclub was used as a jazz club in “the following decade”.
Meanwhile, a 2013 article from Houston-based TV station ABC13 said the suites had been “closed for more than a decade”.
Astroworld closed its doors for the last time on October 30, 2005, and was demolished by the following summer.
Astrodomain is now called NRG Park, featuring the NRG Stadium (Credit: Lance Bradford/Pen News)
Photo shows the 'Tarzan' room, reportedly Michael Jackson's favourite (Credit: Lance Bradford/Pen News)The Astrodome still stands, though it has been closed to the public since 2008 because of fire code violations.
It was famously used as a shelter by refugees fleeing Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Today the Astrodomain is called NRG Park, with NRG Stadium — which was built in 2002 — now serving as its principle venue.