The 1918 studio lot where Thomas Ince built his colonial mansion and then died under disputed circumstances — and where workers have reported his ghost on the catwalks for a century.
9336 W Washington Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
Working film studio; no public tours. Exterior and perimeter viewable from Washington Blvd.
Access
Limited Access
Exterior street view only; interior requires industry credentials
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1918 · Founded by Thomas H. Ince, early Hollywood production pioneer · Site of Gone with the Wind production (1939) · Site of Rebecca (1940) · Culver City Historic Landmark · Current Amazon Studios anchor tenant
Thomas Harper Ince had already built one studio lot in Culver City before he acquired land from developer Harry Culver in 1918 for a second, larger facility. The architectural firm Meyer and Holler designed the campus, centering it on a Colonial Revival administrative building known as the Mansion — a 15,000-square-foot structure modeled loosely on Mount Vernon. Ince used the Mansion as his personal headquarters, and it became the most architecturally distinctive building on the lot.
Ince was one of Hollywood's most prolific early producers, responsible for more than 100 films and credited with systematizing studio production methods. He operated the Washington Boulevard facility until November 1924, when he died following a birthday party held aboard William Randolph Hearst's yacht, the Oneida. The circumstances of his death were disputed at the time and remain a subject of speculation. The official cause was listed as heart failure following acute indigestion. His body was cremated before a thorough autopsy could be conducted. His widow sold the property to Cecil B. DeMille shortly afterward.
Subsequent owners included RKO-Pathé, Selznick International Pictures (which produced *Gone with the Wind* and *Rebecca* on the lot), and Desilu Productions, which operated it as a television facility from the 1950s onward. Hackman Capital Partners acquired the property in 2014, expanded the campus significantly, and secured Amazon Studios as the primary tenant. The lot currently encompasses six sound stages and production office space.
Sources
The Ince ghost tradition at the Culver Studios is notable for its longevity and its specificity of location. Reports concentrate on two areas: the Mansion's staircase, where workers claim to see a man ascending toward the executive screening room, and the high catwalks above the original stage buildings, where stagehands over the years have described confronting a figure that appeared and then was gone.
One documented account involves a secretary working late alone in the Mansion who, in the ladies' room, heard the door open, heard someone washing hands at the sink, then heard the water stop — without anyone entering or leaving the stall. The account comes from Culver City News coverage of paranormal claims about the studio, and the secretary is not named.
The second entity reported on the lot is a woman in a long, flowing dress, seen in various locations across the property. Her identity has not been established.
Ince's death under the circumstances it occurred — disputed cause, hasty cremation, well-documented conflict between Ince and William Randolph Hearst over business arrangements — gave the lot a reputation for unresolved history that probably feeds the ghost tradition. The Mansion has been in continuous use as office space since 1918, which gives multiple generations of employees the opportunity to notice its atmosphere.
Notable Entities
The colonial Revival 'Mansion' administration building, modeled after Mount Vernon and completed in 1918, faces Washington Boulevard and is visible from the street. This is the 15,000-square-foot building most associated with Ince's ghost sightings. The studio is an active production facility anchored by Amazon Studios and is not open to the public.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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