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Ten Haunted Tales. Ten Historic Landmarks. Can You Guess Where These Ghosts Are?
Behind the grand marble staircases, ornate chandeliers, stained-glass windows, and elaborate architectural details of Downtown’s historic buildings are stories that have survived generations.
Can you identify all ten locations before reaching the answers at the end?
One. Woman in the Water
She checked into a Downtown hotel and disappeared. Weeks later, her body was discovered inside a rooftop water tank. The tragedy made international headlines after surveillance footage showed the young Canadian tourist behaving strangely inside an elevator. Her death in 2013 was officially ruled an accidental drowning, but the mystery surrounding her final days inspired documentaries and countless supernatural theories.
Built in 1924–1925, the Beaux-Arts hotel was designed by architect Loy Lester Smith. Its original lobby featured polished marble, stained-glass windows, alabaster statues, and decorative palms. Located on Main Street near Seventh Street, the building later became notorious for suicides, violent deaths, and its association with serial killers, including Richard Ramirez. Guests and paranormal enthusiasts have described unexplained noises, shadowy figures, and unsettling encounters inside its corridors.
Two. The Blackest Goodbye
She was only 22 years old when her mutilated body was discovered in a vacant Los Angeles lot in January 1947. Elizabeth Short, forever remembered as the Black Dahlia, was reportedly seen inside one of Downtown’s most luxurious hotels shortly before her death. According to local ghost stories, a mysterious woman dressed in black sometimes appears in its corridors before vanishing.
Opened in 1923 beside Pershing Square, the Italian Renaissance-inspired hotel was designed by the architectural firm Schultze & Weaver. Its magnificent interiors feature marble columns, elaborate chandeliers, carved decorative details, and painted ceilings created by Italian artist Giovanni Smeraldi. Its grand ballrooms hosted Hollywood celebrities, politicians, presidents, and early Academy Awards ceremonies. The hotel has also appeared in numerous Hollywood productions and remains one of Downtown’s most recognizable architectural landmarks.
Three. The Silent Film Star Who Never Checked Out
Rudolph Valentino was one of Hollywood’s greatest romantic leading men, adored by millions before his death in 1926. During the height of his career, he attended glamorous gatherings at a luxurious hotel near Fifth and Spring Streets. According to local legend, his spirit continues to wander the building, particularly around the magnificent ballroom where he once danced.
Opened in February 1906, the hotel was designed by architect John Parkinson and cost approximately $2 million to construct. Its Beaux-Arts exterior features decorative terra-cotta details and sculpted griffins. Inside, guests encountered towering marble columns, gold-leaf ceilings, Turkish rugs, and enormous chandeliers. Its famous Palm Court, added in 1911, features a spectacular stained-glass skylight. The hotel welcomed presidents, silent-film stars, and some of Hollywood’s most important early celebrations. The building later became residential apartments, preserving much of its original architectural character.
Four. The Governor Who Never Left
He was California’s last governor under Mexican rule and one of the wealthiest landowners in Southern California. In 1870, he opened a magnificent hotel near the historic Los Angeles Plaza. More than 150 years later, local ghost stories suggest that his spirit still watches over the building. Visitors and security personnel have reportedly described unexplained footsteps and shadowy figures appearing on its upper floors.
Built in 1870, the three-story Italianate hotel was designed by architects Ezra Kysor and Octavius Morgan. It contained approximately 80 guest rooms arranged around a central courtyard, with gas lighting, indoor bathing facilities, a grand staircase, and spacious balconies. Located on North Main Street near Olvera Street, it was considered one of Los Angeles’ finest hotels. The surrounding neighborhood also witnessed the 1871 Chinese Massacre, one of the darkest episodes in the city’s history.
Five. A Message From Beyond the Grave
Before one of Downtown’s most beautiful buildings was completed, its designer reportedly received a message from his deceased brother encouraging him to accept the assignment. Architect George Wyman is said to have consulted a planchette, a device associated with spirit communication. Years later, an employee died in an elevator shaft, adding another tragic story to the building’s unusual history.
Completed in 1893 near Third Street and Broadway, the five-story landmark was commissioned by mining millionaire Lewis Bradbury. Its relatively modest brick, sandstone, and terra-cotta exterior conceals one of Los Angeles’ most extraordinary interiors. A skylit central atrium rises above open walkways, ornate cast-iron railings, decorative staircases, and antique cage elevators. The building became internationally recognizable after appearing in the science-fiction film Blade Runner. Its mysterious origin story and dramatic architecture have made it a favorite subject of ghost tours.
Six. The Bartender Who Refused to Retire
Hank Holzer was a former boxer and bar owner whose larger-than-life personality became part of Downtown nightlife. Even after his death, employees at his old watering hole reportedly believed he continued to visit. Some described unexplained sensations while working late at night, as though the former proprietor were still supervising the establishment.
Built in 1913 on South Grand Avenue between Eighth and Ninth Streets, the historic hotel served travelers and long-term residents during Downtown’s early commercial expansion. Its street-level bar, known as Hank’s, featured dark interiors, an old-fashioned drinking atmosphere, and generations of loyal patrons. The establishment became a neighborhood institution where locals, hotel guests, and longtime Downtown personalities gathered. Its aging corridors and decades of nightlife provide the setting for one of the neighborhood’s more unusual ghost stories.
Seven. The Woman With the Mysterious Message
In 1950, a woman named Hallie Oswald was found murdered inside a Downtown hotel room. Accounts of the crime describe disturbing messages written on her body. The tragedy became one of the darker chapters in the history of a hotel originally established to give women a safe and respectable place to stay while traveling alone.
Opened on August 14, 1926, near Ninth and Figueroa Streets, the hotel was financed by the YWCA and designed by Stanton, Reed & Hibbard. Its Spanish Colonial Revival architecture featured decorative arches, wrought-iron details, tiled surfaces, and an elegant lobby. Early guests enjoyed writing salons, a beauty parlor, and gathering spaces for professional women. During the 1970s, the property adopted a Moroccan-inspired appearance with colorful lanterns and richly decorated interiors. A major restoration completed in 2018 brought back much of its original Spanish character. Today, the hotel is also known for its distinctive coffin-shaped swimming pool.
Eight. The Traveler Who Never Reached Her Destination
In 1944, a trunk shipped from Chicago arrived in Los Angeles. Inside was the body of Louise Villegas, who had been murdered by her husband. The gruesome discovery became associated with one of Downtown’s most famous transportation landmarks. Over the years, ghost stories have described mysterious footsteps, unexplained sounds, and shadowy travelers moving through its long passageways.
Opened in May 1939 near Alameda Street and the historic Los Angeles Plaza, the landmark was designed by father-and-son architects John and Donald Parkinson. Its architecture combines Spanish Colonial Revival, Mission Revival, and Art Deco influences. Visitors encounter enormous wooden ceilings, polished tile floors, decorative chandeliers, colorful ceramic tiles, and spacious courtyards planted with palms. Constructed for approximately $11 million, it opened with a three-day celebration attended by an estimated half-million people. It remains one of the most recognizable railroad terminals in the western United States.
Nine. The Hitchhiker Who Vanished
Imagine leaving a Downtown bar late at night when a mysterious stranger asks for a ride to Evergreen Cemetery. According to local ghost lore, the passenger disappears before reaching the destination. The story belongs to a legendary saloon whose reputation was established long before Downtown became a destination for trendy cocktail lounges and nightlife.
The saloon occupies the ground floor of a hotel built in 1906 near Fifth and Los Angeles Streets. Its early years coincided with Downtown’s transformation into a busy commercial district filled with boardinghouses, hotels, theaters, and taverns. During Prohibition, an underground drinking establishment reportedly operated beneath the building. Its dimly lit interiors, old-fashioned bar atmosphere, and connection to underground passages have inspired stories about hidden rooms and lingering spirits. Over the decades, the establishment became a favorite gathering place for Downtown’s artists, writers, musicians, and longtime residents.
Ten. The Passenger Who Never Made It Up the Hill
In 1943, a sailor reportedly attempted to walk along the tracks of a famous Downtown railway and was fatally crushed between its passing cars. Decades later, stories circulated about mysterious figures appearing along the steep incline. The little railway has witnessed accidents, neighborhood demolition, and more than a century of changing Los Angeles history.
Opened on December 31, 1901, the railway was developed by Colonel James Ward Eddy to connect Hill Street with the fashionable residential neighborhood atop Bunker Hill. Its two historic cars, named Olivet and Sinai, traveled past Victorian mansions, residential hotels, and elegant apartment buildings. The railway’s distinctive orange-and-black cars, wooden station house, and steep tracks became familiar symbols of old Los Angeles. When much of Bunker Hill was demolished during urban redevelopment, the railway was preserved and eventually relocated near California Plaza and Grand Central Market.
How Many Downtown Ghosts Did You Recognize?
The ghosts of Downtown Los Angeles may or may not exist, but the buildings behind these legends certainly do.
So, how many haunted locations did you recognize?
The Answers Revealed
One. Cecil Hotel — 640 S. Main Street
Two. Millennium Biltmore Hotel — 506 S. Grand Avenue
Three. Alexandria Hotel — 501 S. Spring Street
Four. Pico House — 430 N. Main Street
Five. Bradbury Building — 304 S. Broadway
Six. Stillwell Hotel — 838 S. Grand Avenue
Seven. Hotel Figueroa — 939 S. Figueroa Street
Eight. Union Station — 800 N. Alameda Street
Nine. King Eddy Saloon — 131 E. Fifth Street
Ten. Angels Flight Railway — 350 S. Grand Avenue
Historical note: The documented events and architectural histories are distinct from the supernatural accounts, which remain unverified local legends and folklore.
