THE WORLD'S MOST HAUNTED PLACES

ELGIN AND WINTER GARDEN THEATER, TORONTO, CANADA

A two year restoration project at the Elgin and Winter Garden Theater, in Toronto, has triggered frequent paranormal activity.

HISTORY:

Built in 1913, the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre complex located at Yonge and Queen Streets in Toronto originally opened as Loew'sYonge Street Theatre. The upstairs par, the Winter Garden, was closed and sealed off in the late 1920's. The lower theatre, The Elgin remained in operation as a movie theatre. This building is the last Edwardian double-decker theatre in the world. It was purchased by the Ontario Heritage Association in 1981 and declared a national historic site in 1982. The restoration, which was finished in 1989, revealed beautiful architecture and memorabilia but it stirred up a lot of ghostly activity.

HAUNTINGS:

In the once sealed Winter Garden, theatre employees have seen the ghost of a musician named "Sam". He worked there in the vaudeville era and died when he fell into the orchestra pit. He is seen wandering around and sometimes the sound of his saxophone can be heard. They have also seen seat unfold and fold up again when there has been nobody else in the theatre.

The spirit of a more recently departed soul nicknamed "Stan" has been sighted and he is considered unfriendly. It is believed that this man was a worker on the restoration project in the late 1980's and died when he fell off the mezzanine level of the Elgin. One employee heard footsteps behind her on the stairs. As she sped up her pace, the noise of the footsteps behind her started to speed up.

The elevators are the old fashioned kind where an operator is required. Staff have seen the elevators moving to different floors when there has been no operators or passengers present.

One of the most famous ghosts is known as the Lavender Lady who resides upstairs in the Winter Garden. It is said that a young lady was stabbed in the washroom and managed to stagger into the lobby and press the elevator button. When the elevator operator got to the top floor and opened the door, the lady was dead. Now the air sometimes fills with the scent of lavender.

On occasion, the people in the box office have seen the apparition of a young lady in her 20's with her blonde hair tied up in a bun. It is obvious that she had been in a struggle due to her disheveled appearance. It is believed that she is the Lavender Lady.

Another female ghost is seen in the lobby dressed in Edwardian clothing.

The ghost of a young woman, who most likely was an actress, has been seen spotted departing from the coat check room on the 2nd floor. This room was once used as a dressing room. The apparition of a man has been seen in the vicinity of the ladies washroom on the 2nd floor. He may have been a technician at the theatre.

In the Elgin Theatre on the lower level, there is the ghost of a little boy who had fallen from one of the boxes. He has been seen running up and down the main staircase, going from the mezzanine to the balcony.  

If you have the opportunity to catch a show at the Elgin and Winter Garden, you may be fortunate to see a side show of the mysterious kind!