WHERE: The Los Angeles Theater
(615 S. Broadway, Los Angeles) Map
STATUS: Dormant (Occasional Screenings)
THE GHOST(S):
The Los Angeles Theater was not only the last of the great movie palaces downtown, but it was also the most expensive. No expense was spared in the decor of the Los Angeles, which included crystal chandeliers, marble, gold leaf, silk wall coverings, neon lighting, air-conditioning, walnut paneling, and fountains. Even the custom curtain used was said to be the most expensive in the world. All of this decadent wonder was done at the height of the Great Depression. The main lobby, and lounges are so opulent and large that today they are rented out as film/television/print locations to represent places of wealth, and double for the interiors of banks, mansions, or palaces. Despite all this grandeur (or because of the costs) the theater went belly-up in less than a year. It eventually reopened and did well during the war years, but business dwindled, and by the 1970's the crown jewel of downtown's "corridor of fantasy" became a the world's only 2200 seat porno theater.
Today, the theater is closed to the public. Occasionally, screenings and events are held there so people can see what it is like to be surrounded by such decaying opulence. A few lucky visitors may even meet the (decaying and opulent) former patron in a tuxedo, who lingers near the stairs to the lounge. Witnesses claim that the man stops at a mirror to adjust his tie before disappearing. People have also seen him while looking in the mirror approaching them from behind. Then, on the other end of the ecto-economical scale, the blue-collar ghost of a former projectionist has been spotted over the years in the projection booth. Aside from those two spirits, disembodied voices, laughter, and whispers has been heard throughout the downstairs lounges, dressing rooms, closets, and children's area. Perhaps, all these ghosts are getting reading for a show that will never again start.
http://www.losangelestheatre.com/
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...)
