The Santa Fe Railroad company established a medical facility in 1904 mainly to provide services to its employees. In 1924, the Santa Fe Coast Line Hospital was demolished and rebuilt as a Mission Revival style hospital called Linda Vista. It was a beautiful spectacle in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles, California. It has become the best medical institution in the area for many decades.
During its early years, the interior of vista hospital was superb, and it had highly-qualified and well-trained staff. It also had cows, chickens, and vegetable gardens to help patients regain their strength and health.
However, Linda Vista was unable to keep up with time, along with its advancements and changes. From the ’70s up to the ’80s, the lovely Boyle Heights suburb was no longer a great place. The medical industry was advancing, and the railroad employees looked for more conventional medical care and treatment.
As a result, the Linda Vista treated injuries from violent crimes such as gunshot wounds brought about by the local community. This was because the east side of Los Angeles, including the Boyle Heights neighborhood, became a notorious area of many illegal activities, increasing the crime rate every day.
As time went by, there was not enough funding for the vista hospital, which meant letting go many of its valuable employees. Patients were still increasing in numbers, but the lack of resources brought about shortcuts in treatments and operations, increasing the mortality rate. All this resulted in forcefully closing its doors in 1991 permanently.
While the vast city of Los Angeles had not much use of abandoned buildings, they looked differently at a hospital like Linda Vista. Linda Vista hospital was a six-story mission-style architectural structure. Its empty hallways, floors, and the entire premises suddenly became a popular location for movies, TV shows, and music videos.
The old Linda Vista hospital was dusty, full of cobwebs with all the office trappings and medical equipment left behind by the former staff. Being stripped of anything useful and no people going about, the place gave a strange and eerie feeling. Later on, the ghost vibe of the hospital was picked up by horror enthusiasts, ghost hunters, and location scouts for film and TV.
Linda Vista Hospital
Linda Vista was full of activity again from time to time. There were plans to renovate the hospital but did not push through due to the presence of lead and asbestos within the property. However, the shooting and paranormal operations continue progressively. As of 2013, more than 60 TV shows, movies, and music videos have shot scenes in the scary halls of vista hospital, some of which are Pearl Harbor, Insidious Chapters 2 and 3, Conspiracy Theory, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dexter, Charmed, Monster (Paramore), and Best of You (Foo Fighters).
In 2011, a section of the building was converted for a new purpose; the Linda Vista Senior Apartments. Besides being a site for film and TV shoots, it also serves as a shelter and lodging. In 2015, the Hollenbeck Terrace Apartments followed suit and converted the main building of the hospital to 97 apartments for the elderly. With this, the vista hospital continues to be a place of service for the community.
