F I R S TP R E V666NEXTLAST

The Curse at 1000 Lombard Street
Since today is post number 666 I thought we'd visit a place that has a devilish curse associated with it. This home is located right on the curving block of Lombard Street, a prime location in the city. In the 1960s the home was owned by San Francisco's 'Queen of the Jet Set,' Pat Montandon, a woman Esquire magazine called one of the nation's top hostesses. Montandon hosted parties with guests such as Frank Sinatra, Ted Kennedy, and super lawyer, Melvin Belli (who she later married). But during one of her parties, a zodiac-themed affair, she forgot to bring the hired fortune teller the drink that she'd asked for. Insulted, the fortune teller put a curse on the house. Immediately things started going wrong in the Montandon's life. Her car was smashed, her dog developed sores that wouldn't heal, and then two of her friends who lived with her in the house committed suicide.

The troubles didn't stop there, TV Guide ran a story suggesting she was a prostitute, her foyer was smeared with obscenities, and fires started flaring up in the home. On June 20, 1969 a fire broke out in the master bedroom occupied by Montandon's friend Mary Louise Ward. Ward was found dead in the room, the autopsy determining that her death was not caused by the fire. Firemen were not able to rescue her because both the house and bedroom doors were chained and barred from the inside. The death was finally ruled due to "undetermined causes." This was the final straw for Montandon who moved out of the home. To this day residents of this home have experienced no less than five divorces, numerous deaths, and at least three suicides.
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