Original subtitles

[narrator] In France, a mighty fortress

defeated by a single soldier.

The story that somebody could take it so easily,

it's almost unbelievable.

[narrator] A vacation resort for Nazi sympathizers.

When the Eichhorns create their special little bit

of Nazi Germany, that is the shape of things to come.

[narrator] And a palace home for a crime kingpin.

[narrator] And a palace home for a crime kingpin.

He also trafficked in weapons,

and it's alleged that he practiced torture and extrajudicial executions.

[narrator] Decaying relics.

Ruins of lost worlds.

Sites haunted by the past.

Their secrets waiting to be revealed.

[narrator] In the highlands of Argentina,

there lies an estate built for the rich and powerful.

You've got these beautiful mountains,

and you have nestled in there this beautiful large old building.

You go into this place and it's absolutely sumptuous.

And it's clearly targeted at a rather upmarket clientele.

And it's clearly targeted at a rather upmarket clientele.

[narrator] Details that mark the history of this place are now missing.

If you look up at this arch, you can see that there used to be something

that has clearly been knocked off.

It looks like there was a hasty change to this arch.

Wonder what was there?

[narrator] This site is at the center of a controversial theory,

that an infamous politician faked his death and came here for sanctuary.

that an infamous politician faked his death and came here for sanctuary.

Of course, this is complete rubbish and not true at all.

But the fact that that conspiracy theory exists, that people think about this,

gives us a clue to the history of this building.

[narrator] In 1897, this land was an empty meadow...

until one man passed through.

A German tourist comes into Argentina,

and comes to this region

and realizes this is beautiful.

The air is clean, it's just a wonderful space.

And he makes this decision to build a hotel.

[narrator] His hotel was to be the most luxurious in all of Argentina.

[Wawro] And it had huge kitchens, refrigerators

so that the guests could partake

of all the fruits of Argentina.

of all the fruits of Argentina.

[narrator] But despite its luxuries, this hotel was losing money.

[Landdeck] The original owners could never get this hotel

profitable enough to make up for their debt,

but they did find someone to buy it from them.

[narrator] In 1912, the hotel came under new management.

It was bought by a married couple

called Walter and Ida Eichhorn.

The Eichhorns were very clever in their business techniques.

The Eichhorns were very clever in their business techniques.

They had a lot of great ideas.

They worked in the sophisticated circles of the day,

the more popular and wealthier crowds,

and were able to convince them that Argentina was the place to go

and that Hotel Eden was the only place to stay.

[narrator] Gabriela Sanchez has studied the history of the Eichhorns.

[Sanchez speaking Spanish]

[translator speaking] As time went by,

they modernized it little by little.

That's why the theater was built and shows were organized.

That's why the theater was built and shows were organized.

They built the skating rink, the tennis and croquet courts,

and organized promenades on horseback.

The main idea was to make visitors very comfortable.

Germans start to come and stay at the Hotel Eden

because it's one up on their neighbors

who only went to Baden-Baden.

who only went to Baden-Baden.

[narrator] The Eichhorns had turned the Hotel Eden

from a failing business to a thriving resort.

But the hotel would start to attract

a very specific kind of clientele.

[Sanchez speaking Spanish]

[translator speaking] This is one of the most expensive rooms at the hotel.

This was the presidential suite,

divided into several rooms, like the walk-in wardrobe and a private bathroom.

divided into several rooms, like the walk-in wardrobe and a private bathroom.

All sorts of prominent Germans, you know, went there,

including Albert Einstein, who was there in 1925.

[narrator] But a rumor suggests

that another influential German stayed at the hotel,

a rising star in German politics,

Adolf Hitler.

One of the really difficult aspects of the early days of the Nazi Party

One of the really difficult aspects of the early days of the Nazi Party

was that Hitler was the most engaging speaker the Nazis had.

And he went on speaking tours around Germany

to raise money and gain support for the Nazi Party.

The Eichhorns were just the kind of forward-looking

modern people with money

who Adolf Hitler was trying to latch onto.

who Adolf Hitler was trying to latch onto.

[narrator] The Eichhorns invested their own money

into Hitler's National Socialist Party.

The Hotel Eden became an Argentinian outpost for Nazi sympathizers.

[Sanchez speaking Spanish]

[translator speaking] In this area, they had a radio,

a system of antennas where they would listen to the Fuehrer's speeches.

They would gather in the afternoons to listen to them.

[Nusbacher] They would sit in the bar at the Eden Hotel

[Nusbacher] They would sit in the bar at the Eden Hotel

and they would drink German wine and eat German food and talk German talk.

They were German heroes drinking German beer

and listening to the greatest German of them all, Hitler.

[narrator] The hotel's entrance was even decorated with Nazi symbols.

The Eichhorns' loyalty was rewarded in 1937,

The Eichhorns' loyalty was rewarded in 1937,

on their silver wedding anniversary.

[speaking Spanish]

[translator speaking] This is the main dining room of the hotel.

They had a lot of decorations with flowers.

They loved natural flowers.

They decorated with Christmas-style lighting between pillars.

And they decorated the ceiling as well.

It was really beautiful.

They invite all the best guests

and all sorts of important people from the region

and from Germany to come to the hotel

to celebrate their 25th anniversary.

[narrator] The Eichhorns invited a guest of honor,

the German ambassador to Argentina.

He came with a present from the Fuehrer himself.

[narrator] In the 1930s, a German couple

had turned an Argentinian hotel

into a Nazi vacation hotspot.

On their 25th wedding anniversary,

the German ambassador gave them a present.

And, you know, they get into some sort of dream state

'cause they heard that the German ambassador

is coming from Buenos Aires

is coming from Buenos Aires

with a present from the Fuherer.

[narrator] The Eichhorns received a photograph

in a silver frame with a personal message.

"Mr. and Mrs. Eichhorn, to my comrades in battle

during difficult times,

for your silver anniversary, warm wishes,

Adolf Hitler."

For them to receive this gift,

it's going to mean a great deal to them,

and it's going to elevate them politically

and it's going to elevate them politically

that Adolf Hitler is going to think so highly of them to send such a personal gift.

[narrator] During the Second World War,

the Eichhorns boasted of their close friendship with Hitler,

though their pride might have been misplaced.

[Nusbacher] What really happens is this.

No doubt somebody from the German foreign office

goes over to Hitler's office and says,

"Can we have another one of those autographed pictures?"

And Hitler's secretary gets the Fuherer to write a little handwritten note,

And Hitler's secretary gets the Fuherer to write a little handwritten note,

they stick it onto one of a million Hitler pictures,

and they send it in the diplomatic pouch out to Argentina.

That day, that 25th anniversary day

in Argentina was so special

'cause Hitler himself had noticed them.

Great.

[narrator] But their beloved Hitler

didn't deliver the Nazi utopia he promised.

[Wawro] Well, Argentina was always heavily German-influenced.

[Wawro] Well, Argentina was always heavily German-influenced.

They were a natural ally for the Germans in World War II,

so of course, they do not join the Allies when the war breaks out.

So, they grudgingly declare war on Germany

only in 1945 and very half-heartedly.

[narrator] Overnight, the Hotel Eden became an enemy of the state.

The Argentine government seized it as a Nazi stronghold.

The luxury apartments were used as prisons for Japanese diplomats.

The luxury apartments were used as prisons for Japanese diplomats.

Then, after the war, they give it back to the Eichhorns,

but, you know, all the life has kind of gone out of the Eichhorns.

They were big Nazis, big Nazi sympathizers.

Their dream has gone away, they've gotten old,

they don't want to put any more energy into it.

[narrator] The Eichhorns retired and faded from public life,

but Argentina remained a safe haven for Nazis.

In those post-war years, the Argentinian president

was very sympathetic to the cause of these former German Nazis.

was very sympathetic to the cause of these former German Nazis.

And so, you end up having thousands of these former Nazis

being smuggled out of Germany, coming to Argentina,

often bringing their wealth with them.

And living in Argentina for, absolutely, decades.

[narrator] Today, the story of the Hotel Eden still invites speculation.

[Nusbacher] Because this place used to be owned by Germans,

[Nusbacher] Because this place used to be owned by Germans,

and because they were kind of Nazi,

people say that Hitler snuck out of Germany

and came and stayed in this hotel.

This is nonsense.

Hitler died in his bunker by his own hand,

and he did not end up in Argentina.

The end.

[narrator] On the western shores of Mexico,

in Guerrero state,

a traditional coastal town

is home to an architectural relic.

[Auerbach] This is a place where you have hotels and residences

with a beautiful sea view.

The bay curls round forming this kind of sheltered utopia.

The bay curls round forming this kind of sheltered utopia.

[narrator] Above the sands of Zihuatanejo

sits an abandoned complex that echoes ancient Greece.

[Bell] Beyond the gates, there's this unkempt path

with eerie headless statues and fallen columns around it,

and you get the sense that there's something

very sinister in the air here.

The basement is dank and very frightening.

There also appears to be the beginnings of a tunnel.

There also appears to be the beginnings of a tunnel.

What possible need would you have for a tunnel down here?

And where does it lead?

[narrator] But above the dilapidated basement is a home of wonders.

[Wawro] You've got 42 Doric columns

in this Parthenon-shaped structure,

but the place hasn't been wrecked and vandalized. It's still pretty intact.

There's sort of a nimbus of power

that still surrounds the place.

[Auerbach] To the side of the entrance,

these snake-like vines creep through these colossal cages.

these snake-like vines creep through these colossal cages.

What could they possibly have been used for?

[narrator] Rodrigo Campos first visited this complex

back in the 1980s,

when he worked for the local government.

[speaking Spanish]

[translator speaking] I'm taking you to a place that was built 40 years ago

here, in Zihuatanejo.

here, in Zihuatanejo.

A place nobody would expect to find here.

So big and splendid back then,

and this is now completely abandoned.

[narrator] Few people have been allowed

to enter the site since it closed.

[Campos speaking Spanish]

[translator speaking] The construction caught our attention at the very first

because it was also wrapped in a veil of mystery.

No one could enter, for a start.

What are they hiding from?

Why don't they let anybody in?

[narrator] This is the holiday home of Arturo Durazo Moreno,

a Mexican police chief with expensive taste.

[Campos speaking Spanish]

[translator speaking] When this building was finished, it was splendorous.

It had significant high ceilings,

It had significant high ceilings,

massive columns.

There were luxury beds, bathrooms,

toilets, high-quality furniture.

This became a real go-to spot for the high-flying,

decadent set of Mexico,

that could afford to fly in on their helicopters,

or dock their private yachts in the bay below.

He would throw these robe parties,

He would throw these robe parties,

in which famous actors, and even the President's own mistress,

would come to the party wearing just their robes.

[narrator] But Durazo's eccentricities didn't end there.

This was his far-flung shrine to the human form.

[Campos speaking Spanish]

[translator speaking] The frescos show Greek motifs.

Everything was dedicated to naked men and women.

It was erotic.

The upstairs bedrooms were the venue for numerous orgies.

With their mirrored ceilings,

I'll leave it to you to imagine the indulgences

that the guests enjoyed in these rooms.

It gets darker than that.

If you look closer, you see satanic images,

images of violence,

and they kind of radiate a sinister feel.

[narrator] The graphic imagery depicts fictional violence,

[narrator] The graphic imagery depicts fictional violence,

but this building began in the aftermath of a real war.

In 1968, a conflict between the government

and guerrilla groups reached a violent peak

when state-funded forces launched a massacre.

This paramilitary force opened fire on a large group

of peaceful student protesters in Mexico City,

killing hundreds and forcing thousands to flee in terror for their lives.

During this period, people on the state payroll

During this period, people on the state payroll

practiced disappearances, kidnappings, torture,

illegal imprisonment, and even extrajudicial execution.

[narrator] One of the architects of this war

lived on top of the hill in his Greek palace.

[Bell] This is the Parthenon of the Mexican thug

and infamous chief of police, Arturo Durazo Moreno,

otherwise known as "El Negro," or "The Black."

otherwise known as "El Negro," or "The Black."

[Wawro] El Negro was the childhood friend

of Lopez Portillo, the long-serving president of Mexico.

When he was a kid, he got bullied in school,

and El Negro was his protector.

So, of course, when Lopez Portillo becomes President of Mexico,

he makes El Negro the Chief of the Mexico City police.

[narrator] El Negro could capitalize on the chaos

and exploit the perks of his new job.

The Parthenon became his lair.

The Parthenon became his lair.

[narrator] In the 1970s, a crime kingpin

held high office in the Mexican government.

His seat of power was his $15-million home,

the Parthenon.

This guy was earning $1,000 a month

as Chief of the Mexico City police.

You do the math.

[Auerbach] So, where did the money come from?

[Auerbach] So, where did the money come from?

Extortion, corruption, intimidation, embezzlement.

That's where.

[narrator] Durazo turned the Mexico City police force into a mafia.

And his coastal retreat

became a hive for his criminal activity.

[Bell] Cocaine was the glamour drug of the 1970s,

and El Negro stepped in

to supply this sought-after powder.

And it made him very rich, very quickly.

[Wawro] When you look around this place,

[Wawro] When you look around this place,

you start to see evidence that this guy really was,

you know, a big narco in Mexico.

There's this little compartment under the pool

that can be explained as being for pool maintenance,

but it's obviously a place where he could hide out.

There's a tunnel that leads under the palace and out to the sea.

This was for trafficking cocaine onto boats.

[narrator] El Negro's syndicate suppressed criminal competitors.

He claimed his methods produced results.

[Auerbach] During his time as the head honcho of the police in Mexico,

[Auerbach] During his time as the head honcho of the police in Mexico,

the crime rate dropped substantially.

[narrator] But criminals under his watch

had a serious incentive not to cross the line.

[Campos speaking Spanish]

[translator speaking] I'm going to show you something that will surprise you

when you see what it really was.

This place looks like a house for a small family.

What do you think it is protecting?

Some lions.

Some lions who had a quite comfortable stay.

People said that, in this cage,

people were threatened they would be put in there.

"They're going to send you to the lions,"

they used to say as a sick joke.

In January of 1982, several tortured bodies of Colombian bank robbers

In January of 1982, several tortured bodies of Colombian bank robbers

turned up on the banks of the Tula River,

and it became painfully obvious

that it was really torture and intimidation and violence

that was keeping the criminal element in check.

People began to ask more serious questions about Durazo and his methods.

[narrator] Later that year, El Negro's friend, President Portillo,

was succeeded by Miguel de la Madrid.

The new president began what he called

The new president began what he called

"moral renovation" and a war on corruption.

For El Negro, the game was up.

[narrator] To avoid arrest, Durazo fled the country.

[Wawro] He just abandoned his places like the Parthenon,

leaves, like, dozens of expensive automobiles.

And he goes off to the United States hoping that,

you know, he won't be charged there.

[narrator] After two years on the run,

El Negro was finally arrested

and sentenced to 25 years in a Mexican prison.

The Parthenon was abandoned.

The Parthenon was abandoned.

[speaking Spanish]

[translator speaking] "What's happened?"

I asked myself. "Was there a storm?"

Almost all the sculptures were broken on the ground, headless.

There was no grass in the garden.

The pool was a dunghill.

There was no maintenance at all.

People looted everything.

[narrator] El Negro would serve only eight years in prison before his release.

He died in 2000,

but his reputation and brutality

remain vivid in the minds of many Mexicans.

Today, El Negro's Parthenon is a towering memorial

to a time of dirty war and corruption.

Its walls of power may be proof of an illicit past,

but the local government hopes it will be repurposed

but the local government hopes it will be repurposed

to serve the local community it once excluded.

[narrator] In the French countryside,

a concrete structure erupts from the ground.

[Mitchell] The landscape is broken by this strange, five-sided shape.

There are these bizarre metal protuberances coming up,

some of them look like helmets.

some of them look like helmets.

[Nusbacher] As you come close to this construction,

you can see massive poured-concrete fortifications.

You can't build this in the Middle Ages.

You can't build this in the Renaissance.

This building, this construction

is all an artifact of the Industrial Revolution

and of the 19th and 20th centuries.

[narrator] The walls hold the clues to this structure's past.

[narrator] The walls hold the clues to this structure's past.

[Selwood] You can see the remains of battle all around.

Clearly, a huge fight took place here,

but the question is, who won?

[narrator] This place sits 20 miles from the border

of another European superpower.

This spot is clearly going to be key terrain

in any conflict between Germany and France.

[narrator] This structure was once called

the most powerful fortress in the world,

but it was captured by a commando team like no other.

[narrator] February 1916, the Battle of Verdun.

[Nusbacher] The fighting around Verdun

was one of the most drawn-out episodes

of the First World War.

And between February and December, over 11 months of 1916,

And between February and December, over 11 months of 1916,

700,000 people are killed

in and around the city of Verdun.

[narrator] German strategy was to force France

to pour its resources into historic Verdun.

The most important fortification was Fort Douaumont.

[Selwood] As strong and as impregnable.

And Fort Douaumont was impregnable.

It could house over 1,000 soldiers,

and its walls were eight feet thick

and its walls were eight feet thick

and made of steel-reinforced concrete.

[narrator] Douaumont was considered

the strongest military defense in the world,

but on February 25th, the fort was lost.

Patricia Piatek has come to the place where the takeover began.

[Piatek speaking French]

[translator speaking] The fort was surrounded by a ditch

eight meters deep and ten meters wide.

This artillery allowed the fort to be defended

if attackers passed over the grasses.

if attackers passed over the grasses.

[Selwood] A French soldier was manning his post,

and he saw Germans come rushing across no-man's-land.

[narrator] The French soldier fired, but he missed.

The Germans made it to the wall.

Ten minutes later, Fort Douaumont was captured.

A fortification this massive, this impressive,

you would think that this would be a long-involved campaign,

all sorts of bloodshed.

And so, the story that somebody

could take it so easily, it's almost unbelievable.

could take it so easily, it's almost unbelievable.

If you ask a staff college audience the question,

"What do you need in order to attack

a well-entrenched enemy, like a fortress?"

The textbook answer is you need six-to-one.

[narrator] But Fort Douaumont was captured

by a single German soldier.

by a single German soldier.

The soldier had not only dodged a sniper's bullet,

he'd also singlehandedly overrun a machine gun nest

and locked its entire crew in a classroom.

This inevitably poses the question,

how on Earth did one person do this?

Well, there are several versions of the story.

[Piatek speaking French]

[translator speaking] Let's say the enemy is facing us.

The captain of the lookouts would then alert

the machine gun turret soldier,

who would then fire on the enemy.

who would then fire on the enemy.

[narrator] But when Germans approach the fort,

the lookout made a mistake.

A French infantryman thought he saw something,

shot at it...

Realized that he didn't want to shoot other Frenchmen,

and put his rifle down.

[narrator] It gave the Germans the opportunity they needed to get inside.

[speaking French]

[translator speaking] We are now right here,

[translator speaking] We are now right here,

in front of the northeast casemate.

This is where the German army entered the fort.

[narrator] Three soldiers searched the fort for French infantry.

One was a Sergeant Felix Kunze.

He made a discovery inside a briefing room.

[Piatek speaking French]

[translator speaking] When the German soldier arrived in this room,

he discovered many French soldiers.

He pointed at them with his firearm

when a shell fell on this casemate.

when a shell fell on this casemate.

[narrator] The explosion sent a shockwave that took out all the lights.

So, as soon as the lights go out, he dives out of the room,

slams the door, bolts the door,

and the Frenchmen are all locked in when the lights come on.

[narrator] With a large part of the French garrison locked in the classroom,

the Germans claimed Fort Douaumont for themselves.

It really does seem like an extraordinary

military achievement, taking this vast fort

without a single shot being fired.

without a single shot being fired.

But, in fact, there's a wider context.

[narrator] The previous year, France reassigned

most of its forces out of its forts.

Fort Douaumont was an acceptable loss.

[Nusbacher] When the Germans win Fort Douaumont,

it is not a great German victory.

It is simply a repositioning of forces,

which the Germans mistake for success.

which the Germans mistake for success.

[narrator] Sergeant Kunze and his small squad

capture the most powerful fortress in the world,

but Kunze had a secret.

[narrator] In 1916, France's Fort Douaumont

was captured in an audacious raid.

The German high command held a victory parade.

[Nusbacher] The achievement of the German army

in winning this fortress

is something that the Germans

really want to use in propaganda

to energize the rest of the German army to beat the French.

to energize the rest of the German army to beat the French.

[narrator] But they gave the medal to the wrong man

because Sergeant Kunze left something out of his report.

[Piatek speaking French]

[translator speaking] It was here, in this room,

where the German soldier discovered

the French army's eating quarters.

[Mitchell] Once the French soldiers were locked into that classroom,

Kunze then came upon the kitchen or mess hall,

and he was famished, he was absolutely famished.

and he was famished, he was absolutely famished.

And so, when he came upon this food,

he takes this moment to eat it.

[Nusbacher] And Kunze is really worried

that he is going to get in trouble

for having paused to eat all the good French food down in the French canteen.

So, for years after the First World War,

Sergeant Kunze doesn't tell anybody

that he was the guy who got into the fortress first.

that he was the guy who got into the fortress first.

[narrator] Germany held onto Fort Douaumont for another eight months.

It's one reason that Verdun became

the longest land battle in history.

Three hundred thousand soldiers were killed at Verdun,

the result of a German strategy

that ultimately cost them the war.

The Germans were there to make the French fight and die.

The Germans were there to make the French fight and die.

The Germans don't need to take Verdun,

they just have to fight Verdun.

But they lose the plot,

they try to win the battle at Verdun.

And it's one of the reasons they lost the war.

[narrator] On the east coast of Hawaii's oldest island,

Kauai,

an abandoned structure has been reclaimed by nature.

[Landdeck] This is a gorgeous place.

There's trees, there's lagoons,

but then there's all these buildings that are abandoned,

they're falling into disrepair.

And the question is, what is this place?

Lush palm trees have taken over this site,

Lush palm trees have taken over this site,

making it a green oasis.

Tucked away amongst the greenery

are what look to be bungalows.

[Wise] As you enter the structure,

one of the first things you notice is the murals.

They're very colorful, lining all the walls.

The elaborate architecture of this complex makes you feel

that, at its height, this was probably a beautiful place.

But now, all that remains is eerie silence.

But now, all that remains is eerie silence.

Fans of the big screen may feel like they know this place from somewhere.

[Jasper] All of Hollywood would stay here, you know?

Sinatra, John Wayne, Elvis.

As you walk around, you can see that it was once quite lavish,

even though today it is in great disrepair.

[narrator] But to this day, the rundown site attracts

rock-and-roll aficionados from around the globe,

following in the footsteps of their king.

And all his fans, and there are a zillion of them,

And all his fans, and there are a zillion of them,

they all come here.

[narrator] This site has become a mecca for Elvis fans,

but something happened to turn it to ruin.

[narrator] The buildings here stand inches above the waterline,

but this swamp is holy land.

[Gutierrez-Romine] This area lies at the mouth of the Wailua River,

[Gutierrez-Romine] This area lies at the mouth of the Wailua River,

and this river holds a special significance

to the people of Kauai.

To this day, the native people of Kauai

believe that this spot is sacred.

[narrator] This land was once part of the Hawaiian Kingdom,

but in 1890, it was bought by a private investor.

I've been coming here every day for almost 30 years now.

[narrator] In the 1990s, Bob Jasper

visited these buildings frequently.

[Jasper] We are at the most famous abandoned building

in the whole South Pacific.

Welcome to the Coco Palms Resort.

[narrator] The Coco Palms was a hotel,

the dream of a businessman called Lyle Lowell Guslander.

Guslander, or Gus, as he was known around the times,

Guslander, or Gus, as he was known around the times,

was very smart, very active.

He was known as a little rough around the edges,

maybe a little bit of a tough guy, but he was very ambitious.

[narrator] But despite Gus' ambition,

he couldn't run the hotel on his own.

It had 24 rooms, it had five employees and two guests.

So, it was a far cry from this luxury resort that Gus had envisioned.

[narrator] If the Coco Palms was going to be a success,

[narrator] If the Coco Palms was going to be a success,

Gus needed help.

[Jasper] He knew a very intelligent woman named Grace Buscher.

He asked Grace if she would come and operate his hotel.

[Gutierrez-Romine] Together, the pair set about to transform

this little lodge into what they expected

guests' Hawaiian fantasies to look like.

[narrator] Gus and Grace embarked on a mission

to make the Coco Palms into the hotel of dreams.

to make the Coco Palms into the hotel of dreams.

But today, that dream lies in ruins.

[narrator] In 1953, Grace Buscher was appointed

to transform the fortunes of the Coco Palms Resort.

[Wise] At the time, Grace was 43,

had no prior hotel-running experience.

She was a non-Hawaiian, originally from Pennsylvania,

with no background in Hawaiian culture.

[narrator] What Grace lacked in experience,

she made up for in guile.

She moved into the cheapest room at the Coco Palms,

She moved into the cheapest room at the Coco Palms,

but her first challenge was against a powerful foe.

[Jasper] All along the front of the hotel here,

right out here where you see this big ditch,

were the tracks,

and the train would go by here

who knows how many times a day.

[imitates honking] Blowing its horn.

[narrator] Customers complained and Grace was losing money.

But the train was carrying sugarcane, part of a billion-dollar industry.

But the train was carrying sugarcane, part of a billion-dollar industry.

[Jasper] Well, this is just irritating Grace to death,

so one day, at 3:00 in the morning,

Grace took a chair out, set it on the tracks,

sat down in the chair, and said, "That's it.

Until your boss tells me you're not going to blow

the horn anymore at 3:00 in the morning, I ain't moving!"

And that was Grace, and she got her way.

[narrator] Grace fought the sugar company and won.

[narrator] Grace fought the sugar company and won.

It was the first in a line of victories.

When rooms were infested with frogs,

she rebranded them "the frog rooms."

Grace even devised the famous tiki torch ceremony,

which has become a staple of the Hawaiian vacation.

But soon, the hotel was besieged

by another billion-dollar industry,

one which left its mark.

[Jasper] This-- This is a very special place.

[Jasper] This-- This is a very special place.

[narrator] Written in cement are the words

"Pagan Love Song, filmed at the Coco Palms."

That starred Esther Williams, Howard Keel, Rita Moreno.

And as far as Hawaii and the traditions,

that did a pretty good job of showing it,

and they left something behind for us,

which we found etched in the cement.

[narrator] Pagan Love Song was the start

of a long relationship between Coco Palms and Hollywood.

Elvis shot one movie here, and that was Blue Hawaii.

But that was his most successful movie, it was huge.

It not only helped put Coco Palms on the map,

it helped put Hawaii on the map.

It was a huge deal for the hotel.

We're going into bungalow 56.

Every time Elvis was here, this is the bungalow he stayed in.

Every time Elvis was here, this is the bungalow he stayed in.

Well, he was a creature of habit,

and whenever he came back, he wanted bungalow 56.

And what Elvis wanted, Elvis got.

That was Grace.

She took care of Hollywood, Hollywood came here and took care of her.

[narrator] By the time Grace retired,

nine movies had been shot at the resort.

Guests included Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra,

and the Von Trapp Family Singers.

and the Von Trapp Family Singers.

But in 1992, the Coco Palms suffered

a disaster that even Grace couldn't fix.

[Jasper] You know, Hurricane Iniki was out there,

but it was 400 miles south of Hawaii and it was headed west.

Nobody's paying any attention to it, right?

That thing just took a 90-degree turn and here she comes.

That thing just took a 90-degree turn and here she comes.

It just-- It's as if God took this perfect 400-mile-across storm,

"Let me see, where's the center of Kauai?

It's right there!"

He then slammed it right on us,

and this thing was unbelievable.

[narrator] 160-mile-per-hour winds swept through the island.

Steven Spielberg filmed footage for his movie, Jurassic Park,

but the Coco Palms was destroyed.

but the Coco Palms was destroyed.

[Jasper] This place sat here empty for 13 years.

So, sadly, Iniki had a devastating impact on this hotel in the long run.

We're the only island in Hawaii to ever be hit with a hurricane.

We've been hit with three of them.

[narrator] Today, the Coco Palms sits in limbo

as Hawaiians debate its future.

as Hawaiians debate its future.

At the moment, there are plans again to develop and refurbish the site,

but there are native Hawaiians who do claim the property as their own.

[Gutierrez-Romine] Some might say that it's fitting

that nature is reclaiming this spot

where humans tried to build upon sacred lands,

and that it should just be left alone.

But only time will tell what's in store for this place.

[Jasper] The current owners would still like to see it be a hotel.

Other people have other things

Other people have other things

they'd like to see done with it,

a park or a cultural center.

Who knows?