WASHINGTON — For all the good that gradual gentrification does for urban renewal, the process is not without its humbling side-effects, a fact which has recently become all to tragically apparent to the residents of the George Washington University’s District House dorm.
Since the opening of the new 850-person dorm in August of 2016, students, faculty, and visitors alike have reported numerous sightings of a frumpy and disheveled specter, panhandling outside of the building. While initially thought to be spirit of a tramp, vagrant, or vagabond, it was not long before this phantom down on his luck was identified as none other than the Grim Gambler, former head-ghost of Crawford Hall.
Prior to its demolition after the close of the 2012-2013 academic year, Crawford hall was known to host a generous assortment of the greatest wraiths and specters, including The Knitting Woman, The Old Moaner, and Hugh “the Shade” Melvins, among others. Overseeing all of the building’s paranormal activity was the Grim Gambler, who took up his position as head-ghost following his death in tragic poker accident in 1928, two years after the dorm’s construction. Sadly however, like many of Crawford’s other ghosts, Gambler came upon hard times after being evicted from the building in an exorcism intended to purify the grounds before construction on District House began.
Speaking reporters from the GW Ax, this beloved revenant gave a glimpse into the tribulations he has undergone since the loss of his position.
“It’s discrimination, is what it was! But, after the administration cut all of the supernatural positions, I had to figure something else out,” the Gambler told reporters in an ethereal whisper, “I entertained at Halloween parties, dinner gatherings, I even worked in a call-center, nothing stuck. It’s tough out there.” Notorious for tormenting generations of students in ways which defy explanation, the Grim Gambler is now a ghost of his former self, though was once the heart and soul of Crawford Hall’s spectral social scene. Under his tenure, the now defunct dorm was a veritable revolving door of talent from beyond the veil, serving as the first stop on comedian Bob Hope’s comeback tour following death in 2003. And who could forget his famous 2005 roast of Dean Martin to mark the tenth anniversary of the famed singer and comedian’s death?
Many longtime staff and members of the alumni community have voiced concern over the fate of this cherished spirit.
“It really breaks my heart that he hasn’t been able to get back on his feet. The Grim Gambler was our literal Zeitgeist,” said Alec Lenn, class of 1980, “We were all scared of him — scared of how much we loved him! But no really, Crawford was a terrifying place to live, only blood came out of all the faucets.”
The Gambler’s fall from grace has, for many, been a difficult pill to swallow.
We at the GW Ax urge our readers to look kindly on the lost old soul and maybe toss him a smacker or two next time you see him by his old haunt.
