Sumith Prasad
When Dexter Morgan investigates the Ice-Truck Killer in the first season of Showtime’s crime series ‘Dexter,’ the serial killer makes the forensic expert solve a puzzle to find Tony Tucci, who is kept captive by the murderer. After solving the puzzle, Dexter realizes that his target hid Tucci in Angel of Mercy Hospital, where his adoptive grandfather worked for around three decades. After the hospital is shut down, the Ice-Truck Killer uses it to play a game with Dexter. Even though Angel of Mercy is situated in Miami in the show, the real establishment is located in the City of Angels!
The Real Location of Angel of Mercy Hospital
Angel of Mercy is a fictional hospital created for ‘Dexter.’ Even though there is a Mercy Hospital in the Coconut Grove neighborhood of Miami, it doesn’t have any connection to the establishment shown in the crime drama. Furthermore, there aren’t any other Catholic hospitals in Miami-Dade County other than Mercy Hospital. The building that is presented as Angel of Mercy Hospital in the show is the former Linda Vista Community Hospital, which was also known as Santa Fe Coast Lines Hospital. Located at 610-30 St. Louis Street in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles, the establishment was operated by the Santa Fe Employees Hospital Association for the employees of the Santa Fe Railroad.
Linda Vista Community Hospital was built in 1905. It underwent a rebuild in 1938. The hospital was shut down in 1991, only for it to become a popular film and TV production center in the region. Over the years, several globally renowned movies and shows have utilized the building for filming purposes. These projects include Michael Bay’s ‘Pearl Harbor,’ the Academy Award-winning ‘L.A. Confidential,’ and Jennifer Lopez’s ‘The Cell.’ Its eerie ambiance has attracted several horror filmmakers to shoot their productions in the building, including James Wan’s ‘Insidious: Chapter 2.’
The former hospital also became infamous as an alleged paranormal activity hub, leading several investigators and enthusiasts to its premises. The admirers of ‘Dexter,’ however, will not be able to find the terrifying abandoned building at the aforementioned address anymore. In 2015, the establishment was transformed into a low-income senior living facility called Hollenbeck Terrace. Nowadays, the apartment community provides residential arrangements for individuals aged 55+ with studio and one/two-bedroom floor plans. The senior living facility is run by a residential property management company named FPI Management.
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