All language subtitles for Mysteries.of.the.Abandoned.S09E05.1080p.WEB-DL.AAC2.0.H.264-BTN_track3_[und]

[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?