Linda Vista Community Hospital, is a former hospital located at 610-30 South St. Louis Street in Los Angeles, California, United States, in the Boyle Heights neighborhood. The hospital was originally constructed for employees of the Santa Fe Railroad and called the Santa Fe Coast Lines Hospital. It was one of four employee hospitals run by the railroad Santa Fe Employees Hospital Association. The hospital closed in 1991. After its closure, the hospital became a popular filming location for productions, including films, TV shows, and music videos. It has also become the subject of several paranormal investigations. The hospital was sold in 2011 and converted into a low income senior living facility called Hollenbeck Terrace.
History
The original building that housed the hospital opened in the fall of 1905 to serve employees of the Santa Fe Railroad. It had its own Jersey cows, chickens, and a garden to provide patients with the freshest milk, butter, eggs, poultry and vegetables. This original Moorish-style hospital building was designed by Charles Whittlesey and known as the Santa Fe Coast Lines Hospital. The hospital was so successful that it began expanding and the location, overlooking Hollenbeck Park was transformed into a campus. The original 1905 building was replaced in 1938 with the current Mission Revival Style structure, designed by architect H.L. Gilman. In 1985 it became the Linda Vista Community Hospital.
Decline and closure
By the late 1970s, the railroad hospital association facilities were experiencing declining use, as more railroad workers began to use conventional medical-insurance policies. The area surrounding the hospital also became a less-affluent area and hospital funding was affected. The Santa Fe Railroad sold the 150-bed hospital to a managed healthcare company in 1980. According to a CaliforniaHealth LawNews report, when Linda Vista tried to reduce operational expenses in response, the hospital was blamed for an increase in facility death rates. During that time, the hospital was regularly treating a fair number of gunshot wounds and stabbings from the local neighborhoods, which affected its mortality statistics. An increase in uninsured and under-insured patients forced the hospital to close its emergency services department in 1989. The quality of care at Linda Vista Community Hospital continued to decline as doctors moved to other hospitals. In 1991, the hospital ceased operations.
Post-closure
In the decades following its closure, the building became the center of several paranormal investigations; the most notable investigation was initiated by Ghost Adventures, where the crew stayed a full night in the hospital. During that time, it was used primarily as a filming location. In January 2006, the hospital was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2011, the 4.2-acre Linda Vista Hospital complex was purchased by AMCAL Multi-Housing Inc. The structures on the historic registry, the main hospital and former nurses dormitory, were renovated into Hollenbeck Terrace and now provide a total of 97 apartments for fixed-income seniors plus a medical facility.
As a filming location
Notable works shot at Linda Vista include the following: ;Films
The fifth episode of Charm School with Ricki Lake, where the contestants had to "face their fears" by doing various tasks in the hospital & also make money towards a charity.
