Linda Vista Hospital

The Linda Vista Hospital was a former medical facility in Los Angeles, California. In the beginning, it was one of Los Angeles’ oldest hospitals as it tended to some of the early residents including the scores of railroad workers that were working hard to connect one part of the country to the other. While the hospital is no longer in operation, some have told stories of the various hauntings that take place on the grounds themselves. We will discuss the history and early years of the Linda Vista hospital, why it might be haunted, and what the site currently is as of today. If you ever get to visit the City of Angels, it might be a place worth checking out.

Early Years

In the beginning, the Linda Vista hospital was originally known as the Santa Fe Railroad hospital (or alternatively known as the Santa Fe Coastline Hospital). The medical facility opened up in 1904. However, one of the most interesting things that were seen on site was the amount of livestock being raised by the staff. It was said a Jersey cow, chickens, and other livestock were roaming the grounds of the hospital. Also on the grounds was a garden that grew vegetables which provided food for many of the hospital’s staff and patients (along with poultry, dairy, and butter among others). 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. However, the city had begun to grow in population over the years due to the Depression and many people fleeing the eastern half of the country for a better life. The railroad industry among many others were on the bounce back. For a city that’s growing, the decline of a medical facility appeared to be out of place. Administrators had long pointed out that financial sustainability was getting to be less of a possibility. At that point, railroad workers were opting for better medical options as the hospital was no longer offering services that other hospitals in the Los Angeles area had.

As East Los Angeles was becoming less affluent and the number of crimes have begun to spike rapidly. Despite this, many victims of gang-related violence had poured through the doors of the Linda Vista hospital throughout much of the 1970s and 1980s. 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. In the late 1980s, the hospital had begun to turn away ambulances and reroute them to other medical centers due to its inability to handle all kinds of patients. The hospital finally shut its doors in 1991.

While financial distress that lasted well into a couple of decades was said to be the chief cause of the hospital’s closure, some have pointed out that it wasn’t necessarily the case. Allegations of patient mismanagement and abuse were also brought to light years after the hospital had shut down. There had never been any investigations or any reports of abuse or mismanagement filed by family members of past patients nor have any reports have been processed through the State of California. However, the lack of funding and staffing may have lead to the deaths of so many because there were so many patients and very little people to tend to them. And due to budget cuts and financial struggles, it might be widely assumed that Linda Vista never had the chance to upgrade to more modern medical equipment. Had they done so, there would have been a good chance that the hospital would survive another few years.

Apparent Hauntings

With these stories of patient mismanagement, it seems like the story that would be made for Hollywood. Even after the 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.

Many have recalled seeing as many as three specters looming around the old halls of the hospital. One such spirit was one that belonged to a little girl who apparently died on the operating table. Fittingly enough, she would usually be seen in the surgical room. Another spirit that seems to be making rounds was one of an orderly who worked at the hospital for many years before dying unexpectedly. The other was to be a young woman who would pace on the third floor of the hospital.

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. It had become a hotbed of ghostly activity for quite some time on account of the number of patient deaths that have occurred over the years. And rightfully so, abandoned medical centers are usually known for having such paranormal activity due to such occurrences.

Post-closure, the hospital was also used as a site for filming movies and television shows (even those of the horror genre). At that point, the hospital was cleaned out and had undergone some renovation to ensure that the building was up to code and used for the purpose of filming. From 1985 to as recent as 2015, the old Linda Vista Hospital was used for filming. Oddly enough, so many horror films set in Los Angeles were often using the hospital as a setting for even the most scariest of scenes. And the possibility of ghosts haunting the hallways made the scary scenes seem so real and authentic.

The land where the hospital building still sat at the time had since been renovated and turned into a senior living center. On-site is a smaller scale medical facility that is treating residents on a regular basis to ensure that they are healthy and are made aware that a fully staffed medical team is available 24 hours a day.

Is It Worth Visiting?

Since the old Linda Vista Hospital has long been remodeled from the ground up, it might not be a good place to waltz around a residential area looking for ghosts. But if you are in the neighborhood, you may be able to experience some paranormal encounters (although they are really not guaranteed). But rest assured, if you live near the area you probably might be able to check the place out or even ask questions about any strange activity that might seem paranormal like. But if you reside outside of Los Angeles, you may want to check out some of the other haunted places that are situated in this large city. Yes, LA takes up a lot of land mass. And that means you have no shortage of haunted places to check out. Even if you are a lifelong Angeleno or just visiting, you’re probably making a smart decision to avoid the always clogged freeways just for the sake of finding ghosts.

Conclusion

The Linda Vista Hospital might still be a subject of conversation among many lifelong residents of East LA. And it might still be talked about by many paranormal adventurers and experts. But it’s a place that still have a few ghosts hanging around despite the building being repurposed and reused for something completely different. Don’t be surprised if you come across some paranormal activity (or not). There are all kinds of adventures you can go on in the City of Angels where you are able to come across some spirits and feel something strange being afoot. No matter where you are in the city, you are bound to find something that you can tell stories about for a long time.