April 13th: SPIRITS with SPIRITS at The Eden Garden Bar & Grill

GHOULA meets for cocktails in haunted places on the 13th of each month. “SPIRITS with SPIRITS” is a casual gathering of regional ghost hunters. Open to all, from the curious skeptic to the passionate phantom pursuer. Make friends, find ghosts! Come see the hot spots with “cold spots” and put the “Boo!” back into “booze.”

All those who attend will receive a free G.H.O.U.L.A. button. If you already have, please wear it so others can find you.

THE DATE: April 13th, 2009 (Monday)
THE PLACE: The Eden Garden Bar & Grill (175 E. Holly St., Pasadena) map
THE TIME: 8pm to the Witching Hour

THE GHOST(S):

Built in the 1920’s, this gothic church-like building began life as a mortuary and funeral home, and was the home of “Turner & Stevens Co.” whose motto was “serving over 36,000 families since 1895.” Today, one can get service of another kind (namely table service) in this same “den of death.” Ironically, one of Pasadena’s best gourmet restaurants operates in the room that used to the garage/carriage house where the hearse was kept. This may explain why customers over the years have heard the sounds of a horse’s spirit residing in this space. Also, the ghost of an African-American worker in overalls and a yellow shirt has been spotted in the back of the restaurant adjacent to the restrooms. Some claim this playful phantom prankster is also responsible for locking the door to the ladies’ room, and trapping its female occupants

But, the apparitional activity in this restaurant is just the tip of this building’s “cold spot” ice-berg. The whole brick and stone structure (which houses other businesses) is known to be very haunted with disembodied whispers and phantom footsteps heard all over the building. The ghost of a scantily-dressed prostitute has been seen, as well as a vanishing red-headed little girl. Perhaps the strangest phenomenon associated with this building is the “rotting corpse odor” that some say materializes in the basement near the vaults where the deceased were stored decades ago.

Though never proven, there is a legend that an illegal “speak-easy” operated out of the building, using the funeral home as its cover. Furthermore, it is said that an urn containing the ashes of a former Pasadena mayor, who crossed the local gangsters, and then went missing, was found in the walls during a remodel. If there is any truth to these rumors, who knows how many victims met similar fates? And likewise, who knows how many ill-fated ghosts there really are in this historic landmark?

http://www.edengardenbarandgrill.com/

(to see last month's SPIRITS with SPIRITS location...)

PASADENA PLAYHOUSE'S GHOST

WHERE: Pasadena Playhouse
(600 North Rosemead Boulevard, Pasadena) map

STATUS: Active theater

THE GHOST(S):

This classy theater opened in 1925, and was built to house Pasadena's community theater that had originally started on a lower class burlesque stage. Just as this little theater troupe (lead by Gilmor Brown) overcame great odds to gain respect, so too did this theater, which in 1937 was declared California's Official State Theater because of the its innovative programing, which attracted the very top playwrights and actors to go to this suburb of Los Angeles and do "community theater."

This tradition of attracting the best in the dramatic arts to Pasadena continued for the many decades that followed since Gilmore Brown first set foot inside this building. Another tradition of the playhouse that continued was the continuous presence of Gilmor Brown, himself, even after his death in 1960. It is said that Gilmor requested hidden passageways to be built throughout the theater, so that he could secretly watch (and eavesdrop on) the rehearsals, and likewise it is said that his presence is still watching the goings-on of this fabled stage from the shadows to this day. This uneasy feeling of being spied upon on (and around) the stage was so common that faculty members felt it was necessary to warn incoming students (of the attached acting school) of Gilmor's ghost, and explain to them that "he" is just being protective of the place he helped build. So, should you ever have the chance to walk through this historic landmark and/or walk across the historic stage, don't worry if you feel the piercing eyes of a being from the great beyond. He means you no harm.

Additionally, anything strange that happens inside the theater is blamed on his ghost. In the past, lights have mysteriously turned on and off during performances (even after the wires had be examined by an electrician). An often repeated tale involves a stage manager's stack of notes with a production's sound and lighting queues getting scattered around a room during each intermission of that production (and even after the doors were locked and a guard was placed in front of it).

http://www.pasadenaplayhouse.org/

If you know of another ghost story (or another version of a story mentioned), or if you have personally experienced something strange at this theater, please leave a comment.

(to read about another haunted theater in the L.A. area...)