The Linda Vista Community Hospital is one of those places that started off so great but eventually fell into complete despair. It was first established in 1904 as the Santa Fe Coastlines Hospital, a prospering healthcare facility dedicated to servicing employees of the Santa Fe Railroad. During the early decades of the 20th century, the hospital flourished as did Los Angeles’ surrounding Boyle Heights neighborhood.
The building was designed by architect Charles Whittlesey. The original building was torn down in 1924 and rebuilt the following year into a more modern design. In 1937, the hospital witnessed a major expansion. As the war raged on in the 1940s, the events slowly began to cause a decline in the hospital.
By the 1970s the reputation of the neighborhood of Boyle Heights slowly declined as did the status of the Linda Vista Hospital. The east side of Los Angeles gradually became a notorious zone where the crime rate rose with each passing day. Over time, the hospital lost its funding which further meant that the hospital had to let go of some of its employees. But the number of patients kept increasing.
Financially, the hospital was in decline to a point where the hospital was short-staffed and lead to a rise in patient deaths in emergency situations. The increase in poor and uninsured patients took its toll on the hospital, and in 1988, Linda Vista stopped accepting ambulances in their ER. The hospital finally shut its doors in 1991.
Once closed, the speculations about Linda Vista Hospital started to spread like a wildfire. Talks about a history of patient abuse and mistreatment were regular. Even after the Linda Vista Hospital closed its doors, many visitors would sneak into the hospital to check it out for themselves. Many have recalled hearing footsteps and phantom sounds of moaning and groaning. Meanwhile, some have even seen figures in the emergency rooms.
Since the hospital’s closure, many paranormal experts were known to spend the night here in hopes of catching whatever evidence they could find for paranormal activity. Linda Vista’s creepy halls have starred in over 60 films, TV shows, and music videos. Portions of “Outbreak,” “End of Days,” “Pearl Harbor” and the pilot episode of ER were shot inside Linda Vista Hospital.
Linda Vista Hospital Ghost Stories
According to the ghost story, a treacherous patient was kept in Linda Vista Hospital. When he died, his ghost continued to occupy the room and the anger he had while he was alive never faded. It is said that growls and howls are heard from this room.
Another story is about the Linda Vista Hospital boiler room. According to some rumors, it was here that the doctors burned the bodies of unidentified patients in order to make room for the new ones. Another tale involves a young girl who has roamed the hallways of this hospital since the day when she died on top of the operation table. As with many ghosts, her identity is unknown.
Photos of Linda Vista Hospital
In 2011, part of the hospital was renovated and converted to Linda Vista Senior Apartments and and now provide a total of 97 apartments for fixed-income seniors plus a medical facility. The trend of converting hospitals to condos and apartments comes at a time when real estate values have soared in Los Angeles.
