Somewhere in Pasadena (File Photo – W.K.)
If you’re drawn to the eerie, the unexplained, or the spine-chilling whispers of the supernatural, you don’t have to travel far.
By Katlyn Ong
The San Gabriel Valley is home to a surprising number of places said to be haunted, each with its own dark history and ghostly legends.
Whether you’re a believer or a skeptic, these stories have lingered for generations. Take them with a grain of salt, but if you’re looking for a scare, visit one (or all) of these spots… if you dare.
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Loma Alta Street – Gravity Hill
1054 E Loma Alta Dr., Altadena, CA 91001
Put your car in neutral while facing downhill, and watch in disbelief as it appears to roll uphill, backwards. Locals say it’s the spirit of a teenage girl pushing your car to safety. According to legend, she and her friends were killed in a tragic accident here after she lost control of her parents’ car. Some visitors even claim to find small handprints on their car afterward, believed to belong to the ghostly teens.
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San Gabriel Mission Playhouse
320 S Mission Dr., San Gabriel, CA 91776
Beneath the Playhouse lies a network of tunnels, built by the original owner, “Uncle John,” to move quickly between backstage and the foyer. During the Great Depression, the tunnels were said to have been used as a makeshift morgue, then sealed once full. Today, performers and staff report seeing mysterious apparitions on security monitors, some believe they’ve seen Uncle John himself, along with the ghosts of a little girl and a former stage manager who never left the theater.
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Colorado Street Bridge (“Suicide Bridge”)
504 W Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91105
Built in 1912 over the Arroyo Seco River, the Colorado Street Bridge is as beautiful as it is infamous. It earned the nickname “Suicide Bridge” after more than 100 people reportedly leapt to their deaths from its parapets, many during the Great Depression. One chilling legend claims that a construction worker fell into wet cement during the bridge’s construction and was left entombed within it. Visitors have reported sightings of spectral figures, including a man with wire-rimmed glasses and a woman in a flowing white robe who appears on the parapet before vanishing into thin air.
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Rialto Theatre
1023 Fair Oaks Ave., South Pasadena, CA 91030
The historic Rialto Theatre holds its share of tragic tales. One story tells of a young woman who took her own life, slitting her wrists in the bathroom before going to the balcony to bleed to death. Another legend speaks of a projectionist who lost his mind while working in the booth. Visitors claim to hear shaking stall doors, phantom footsteps, and see the apparition of an older man wandering the balcony or sitting silently among the empty seats.
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Phoenix Inn Chinese Cuisine
208 E Valley Blvd., Alhambra, CA 91801
This long-standing restaurant is said to host a particularly watchful spirit. Staff and diners have reported seeing a woman drifting in and out of the kitchen, quietly observing patrons as they order and eat. Some say she sits among the tables as if she’s still waiting for a meal that never came.
In the San Gabriel Valley, the past is never truly gone , it just whispers a little louder at night. Some stories refuse to stay buried, especially after dark. Are you brave enough to find out which ones are true?
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