During it's stint as an alternative nightclub, I heard of two seperate instances where staff were intruded upon by an old customer. Once, after closing, one staff member went into a storage area and felt as if they were not alone. Turning suddenly, they saw a man leaving the room which seemed odd, as no one else was near the area of the storage room. This apparition was also accompanied by several cold spots and strange occurrences. One theory is that apparently, during the days of old,a shooting took place in the downstairs in which a man of ill-repute (or gangster) was murdered. Maybe this ghost is that of the murdered gangster? If anyone has more information, please let me know.
UPDATE
Another myth and possible reason for the haunting of this bar has surfaced. Again, during the bad old days, a man was facing the wrath of another gangster who was basically coming to "get" the poor fellow at the bar. The chap, instead of facing whatever may have happened with the gangster, chose to hang himself in the building's boiler room. A few folk feel that it is this chap's ghost that haunts the bar.
The following was sent to us by one of our readers who also experienced something in the club space...
In the mid to late eighties the downstairs portion of the Paddock (then known as the "Slither Club") had a small group of folks painting lizards and snakes (slithery things) on the downstairs walls.Have you got something to add about this bar/club? Please, e-mail us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
It was a sunny afternoon and this group were in the alley painting the outside wall. One person chose a back wall by the bar to start painting. While they were painting, another painter came down the stairs and walked up behind them a few times to borrow paint or a brush. The artist was totally engrossed in painting and heard a couple of steps behind them and felt someone breathing on their neck.
They kept painting thinking the other painter was just joking around. Finally, after what seemed like a long silence, they turned around to laugh and share the joke only to find there was no one in the club. They noted to us that there had been no difference in sound or feeling between the assisting painter and what I just experienced.
They also report being told me that there had been a grill and food prep. place where the incident had occurred. They were told that one of the old short order cooks suffered from a heart attack and collapsed on the spot dead.
The kitchen had since been ripped out and the person who experienced the "phantom breather" hadn't had any knowledge of this story before.
During the time of the "Slither" club, the person who wrote us reports that "the place was pretty lively and fun," but "there was a different presence in the back beer locker and back storage area. None of us liked to go back there. I tried to avoid the back area altogether. Everyone who went back there felt that thick, oppressive, "gotta-get-outta-here" feeling."