Is San Francisco City Hall Haunted?

Yes, San Francisco City Hall is considered one of the most haunted buildings in the city. The building has been the site of numerous paranormal encounters since it opened in 1915. The current structure was built on the site of Yerba Buena Cemetery, San Francisco's first municipal graveyard, and has witnessed tragic events including the 1978 double assassination of Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk. Security guards, maintenance workers, and employees have reported unexplained phenomena for decades.

The Punctual Ghost is one of City Hall's most famous supernatural residents. Starting in 1924 and continuing for years, employees heard five distinct rapping sounds from within the walls every day shortly after noon, followed by a brief pause, then three more raps. Despite extensive investigations, no source for the rhythmic tapping was ever found. The ghost was incredibly consistent in its timing, leading staff to nickname it the "Punctual Ghost." Interestingly, the spirit never responded to attempts at communication during formal séances.

The Lady of the Stairs is City Hall's most famous female apparition. She appears as a woman in an elaborate ball gown who is seen descending the grand staircase. Her identity remains unknown, though some speculate she could be connected to the original cemetery beneath the building or to one of the tragic events that occurred there. Witnesses describe her as appearing in period costume, suggesting she dates to an earlier era. She's considered the building's signature ghost.

City Hall was built on the site of Yerba Buena Cemetery, which operated from 1850 to 1868. An estimated 7,000-9,000 bodies were buried there during the Gold Rush era. When the cemetery was supposedly "relocated," the truth is that most of the bodies were never properly moved. Author Beth Winegarner states: "The truth is that most of the people buried at Yerba Buena are still there." This explains why the building experiences so much paranormal activity - thousands of disturbed graves lie directly beneath the structure.

Many believe that the spirits of Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk, who were assassinated by Dan White on November 27, 1978, still haunt the building. Moscone was shot in his office, while Milk was killed in White's former supervisors' office. Security guards and late-night workers report unusual activity, particularly around the second floor where the murders occurred. Some have specifically reported seeing Moscone's ghost in the areas where he was killed.

Security guards working overnight shifts report extensive paranormal activity including: voices and footsteps when no one else is present, office chairs rattling and moving in empty rooms, bathroom faucets turning on and off by themselves, metal detectors at the Polk Street entrance triggering in the early morning hours with no one around, feeling their hair being touched as if someone ran fingers through it, and doors that push back when guards try to open them.

Tour guide Rob Spoor, who developed City Hall's ghost tour, brought a psychic to investigate the building. When they reached a specific spot on the second floor, the psychic became extremely agitated and said, "This is really bad, we have to get out of here and it's very powerful." They were standing next to the exact location where Mayor Moscone had been assassinated. The psychic was a foreigner who had recently arrived in the country and could not have known about the murders, making the reaction particularly significant.

Yes, according to reports, a security guard who died of a heart attack in the building continues to patrol City Hall as a spirit. Witnesses have seen his apparition making his rounds, still performing his duties in death. This adds another layer to the building's supernatural population, as he joins the ranks of other spirits who seem tied to their former earthly responsibilities.

One of the most chilling encounters involved a recently hired deputy sheriff who initially dismissed the ghost stories as nonsense. About six months after starting work, while checking doors to ensure they were locked, he felt a rush of air against his cheek and then heard a voice speak directly into his ear saying, "Now you know." This experience converted the skeptical officer into a believer.

Yes, maintenance workers and cleaning crews working the graveyard shift report the most encounters because they're in the building during the late-night hours when paranormal activity seems strongest. They've reported custodians trying to open bathroom doors that push back against them, motion-activated lights turning on in locked storage rooms with no one inside, and feeling unseen presences while cleaning. Many of these workers have come forward to share their experiences with tour guides and investigators.

Yes, people report sudden cold sensations and temperature drops in certain areas of the building, particularly around the second floor where the 1978 murders occurred and near the grand staircase where the Lady of the Stairs appears. These cold spots are a classic sign of paranormal activity and are frequently reported by visitors and employees alike.

During the 1990s earthquake retrofit, workers found that the building's foundation literally incorporated human remains from the original cemetery. Concrete was poured over coffins during the 1915 construction, and human bones were used as backfill to raise the courtyard level. This physical integration of cemetery remains into the building's structure may contribute to the intense paranormal activity.

While specific photographs of City Hall ghosts haven't been widely published, the building has been investigated by paranormal researchers who use various equipment to document supernatural activity. The consistent testimonies from multiple witnesses over decades, including law enforcement officers and city employees, provide compelling evidence of paranormal phenomena even without photographic proof.

The paranormal activity is well-known among City Hall staff, but operations continue normally during business hours. Most supernatural encounters occur during late-night hours when the building is largely empty. However, some employees have left their positions due to frightening experiences, and the ghost stories have become part of the building's unofficial lore.

Yes, San Francisco City Guides offers free ghost tours of City Hall (though donations are recommended). The tour was originally developed by Rob Spoor, who compiled ghost stories from employees and witnesses over 15 years. The tour was put on hiatus during the pandemic but has returned. These tours focus on the cemetery history, the assassination, and the various supernatural encounters reported over the years.

Electronic equipment frequently malfunctions in City Hall's haunted areas. Motion-activated lights turn on in locked, empty rooms, metal detectors trigger without anyone present, and other electronic devices experience unexplained interference. This electromagnetic disruption is commonly associated with paranormal activity and adds to the building's reputation as a supernatural hot spot.

Most supernatural encounters occur during late-night and early morning hours, particularly between midnight and dawn. The famous Punctual Ghost always appeared shortly after noon, making it an exception to the typical pattern. The 1978 murders occurred during normal business hours (around 10:45-10:55 AM), and some believe this trauma created a temporal imprint that occasionally replays during similar times.

Besides the 1978 double assassination, City Hall has witnessed other deaths over its century-plus history. The building's location on a former cemetery, combined with its role as a seat of power where life-and-death decisions are made, has created an atmosphere that seems to attract and retain spiritual energy from various tragic events throughout San Francisco's history.

Skeptics point to the building's age, settling foundations, old plumbing, and electrical systems as possible explanations for strange sounds and equipment malfunctions. However, these rational explanations struggle to account for the specific, detailed encounters reported by credible witnesses like police officers and security guards, particularly the consistent timing of the Punctual Ghost and the psychic's accurate identification of the murder location.

While most supernatural encounters occur during late-night hours when the building is empty, some visitors on daytime tours report unusual sensations, cold spots, and the feeling of being watched, particularly on the grand staircase where the Lady of the Stairs appears. The building's paranormal energy seems strongest during off-hours, but sensitive individuals may pick up on residual supernatural activity even during busy daytime periods.