Nestled in downtown Lubbock, the Historic Baker Building is nearly 100 years old. It was built in 1928 and designated as a Lubbock Historic Landmark in 1980. In 2024, Alisha Coakley became the owner.
Coakley had been thinking about starting a business for years, eventually she became interested in buying an existing business. Around the same time, the Baker Building went up for sale.
With a love of history and theatrics, the Baker Building felt like a perfect fit.
"When I walked into this building," she recalled, "my whole body just fell in love with it. And it needed some repairs and updates and some love, of course. But just the bones were amazing. And then when I started hearing about the history, and it just grabbed my heart instantly."
Through her work, Coakley tries to recreate that feeling in everyone who walks through the doors.
The Baker Building hosts private and public events: weddings and quinceañeras, but also murder mystery and holiday parties, speakeasies, theatrical performances… and ghost tours.
While Coakley knew about the building's history when she bought it, she wasn't aware to what extent that history might still linger. Over time, she said she began to see shadows and hear footsteps when she was alone and notice lights turn on and off on their own.
"It wasn't until about two, three months in, when I just had so many things happening that I called the old owner and I was like, 'I know this is gonna sound weird, but like, are you guys haunted?' And she's like, 'Oh yeah,'" Coakley said.
For the first 14 years, the Historic Baker Building operated as a furniture store. Then, during World War II, it was turned into a USO hall, an entertainment space for soldiers. After the war, in 1946, it became a rehearsal space for the Lubbock Little Symphony, which would eventually become Lubbock Symphony Orchestra.
"You can sometimes smell like cigar, cigarette smoke in the most random places," Coakley explained. "Perfume is another one. We had one guest who heard some violins playing at one point."
Coakley said she has never witnessed anything "malevolent." Instead, she said the experiences are "little nods," letting those in the building know "'we're still around.'"
The building went through phases of community spaces, business offices, and stores – even withstanding the deadly 1970 tornado which struck downtown Lubbock.
Finally, in the 1980s, the Baker Building was turned into a venue, complete with a ballroom, balcony, kitchen, bar, stage, and spaces for wedding parties or actors to get ready for events.
It was in the kitchen during a ghost investigation that Coakley was convinced that the Baker Building is still occupied.
She was standing at the bottom of the staircase with an investigator when their "EVP" – a device used by paranormal investigators – came up with a word: "standstill."
"All of a sudden, I felt a hand on the side of my hip slowly go across my bottom. And as soon as it lifted off of me, she yelped and jumped and she's like, 'Someone just touched me!' Before I could even say anything, I start crying because I'm a big chicken," Coakley laughed. "So that solidified it for me."
That – she said – was "Naughty Nick." Nick and Nicholas are names that Coakley said has come up repeatedly in ghost investigations.
"He loves the ladies," Coakley said. "And so he'll do little touches and kisses on cheeks and touch the butt."
She also said Nick will sometimes pick a favorite, giving one of the ladies at the dances, masquerades, and weddings a ghostly date for the event.
Along with the voices and the words picked up through ghost equipment, during one investigation, Coakley said she saw a full body apparition.
Investigators had a laser grid pointing at an arch in front of the wall, to see if anything passed between the light and the wall.
Coakley was shocked by what the lead investigator showed her after taking a picture of the setup: "This tall, probably six foot-ish tall, shadowy figure on the opposite side of the device, so not where it's supposed to be, and it almost looks headless or something."
While it can be a little creepy sometimes, Coakley said she has gotten used to whatever presences share the building with her – though, she wishes they would stop wasting batteries by turning on electric candles or maybe help with the cleaning.
The haunted reputation of the building has also been a selling point for some. She recalled a recent engaged couple who came to look at the venue.
Coakley said she does not immediately bring up alleged ghost activity with potential clients, but she gives them a warning about experiences that she and others have had in the building.
Throughout the conversation, though, Coakley said the touch-lamp on her desk had been turning on by itself, even after she repeatedly clicked it back off.
"I hadn't talked about the ghost yet," Coakley explained. "So the bride looks at me, and she's like, 'Okay, I have to ask… I've heard that you guys are haunted. Is that true?' And I said, 'yes.'"
The bride then asked if it was the ghosts turning the light on and off. Coakley told her that she believed it was.
"She hits her groom," Coakley recounted. "She's like, 'I told you this was the building! This was the place!'"
Coakley said the building is very versatile, it can change between bright and airy or dark and spooky, hosting intimate gatherings and large parties.
She is said she is also flexible in working with clients and community members on events, collaborations, and even pricing – doing credit swaps with folks who can help with renovations, bartending, or anything else.
"If I can have you put love into the building, I think that you get so much more out of your own experience, you respect it more," Coakley explained. "It just becomes more of a part of you and your story."
The Historic Baker Building will be celebrating the spirits this weekend with its Día de Muertos Masquerade Ball on Friday and Saturday. You can find more information on The Historic Baker Building Facebook page.
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