Dark City: Touring the Hidden History of Famous & Forgotten Places
Every place has a shadow, every shadow a story. Join us, dark tourists, as we uncover the hidden true crimes, scandals, and hauntings lurking in hotspots and forgotten stops. We dive deep into the research and spill the historical tea with dark humor. No tourist fluff, no sanitized versions. Just the real and sometimes terrifying truths that will surprise even the locals.
Season 2: Phoenix is now streaming, with occasional detours to cities and towns with stories too good to wait.
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Genres: Travel, History, True Crime, Paranormal, Culture
Dark City: Touring the Hidden History of Famous & Forgotten Places
33. HIDDEN HISTORY: Wrensmoor Castle’s Secrets and Spector Pt 1
Alhambra, CA | What’s the story behind Alhambra’s castle on the hill? Wrensmoor Castle stands like a stately gift from the past, modeled after the grand châteaus of the Pyrenees, the homeland of its original builder, Sylvester Dupuy. Behind its stately facade is a layered history shaped by opulence, challenges, and moments of dark intrigue. From hidden passages to a séance room, the castle has seen it all—including the downfall of legendary music producer Phil Spector, who once called it home.
This episode’s topic was chosen by the highest bidder at a recent fundraiser hosted by the Asian Real Estate Association of America Greater Los Angeles (@areaagla on Instagram). We were thrilled to auction off a custom episode to support relief efforts following the January Los Angeles fires. Thank you to our winning bidder @thelenderlife on Instagram, based in Arcadia and specializing in helping clients find the right mortgage for their unique situations.
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🔎 Want to see how deep this story really goes? Here’s the full set of sources we used:
-https://artandsouleventsla.com/wrensmoor-castle
--Barber, M. (1985, July 11). As Sleeping Beauty was in the fairy tale, Alhambra Castle is being awakened by love. Los Angeles Times.
-http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6984082.stm
-https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/lana-clarkson-publicist-pickets-screening-of-hbos-phil-spector-1552290/
-https://www.citytowninfo.com/places/california/alhambra
-https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/lana-clarkson-publicist-pickets-screening-428901/
--KCAL News. (2021, May 4). Phil Spector’s Alhambra Castle coverage [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RegvmJXXpak
-https://lamag.com/celebrity/how-to-be-phil-spectors-houseguest
-Los Angeles Times, December 3, 1939, Fables of Alhambra mystery castle explode
-Los Angeles Times, 1977, There’s a castle for sale in Alhambra
-Los Angeles Times, July 11, 1985, As Sleeping Beauty Was in the Fairy Tale, Alhambra Castle Is Being Awakened by Love, by Mary Barber
-Los Angeles Times, April 8, 2007, Castle had a large family life before Spector, by Cecilia Rasmussen
-https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-aug-14-me-spector14-story.html
-https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-sep-11-me-spector11-story.html
-https://www.latimes.com/business/real-estate/story/2021-05-04/phil-spector-castle
-https://www.moviemaker.com/phil-spector-murder-lana-clarkson-details/
-https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/17/arts/music/phil-spector-dead.html
-https://www.pbssocal.org/history-society/phil-spectors-pyrenees-castle-the-fairytale-castle-that-became-home-to-a-nightmare
-https://people.com/home/phil-spectors-alhambra-castle-where-he-murdered-lana-clarkson-sells-in-alhambra/
-https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/phil-spector-requests-appeal-from-u-s-supreme-court-122870/
-https://www.salon.com/2013/03/15/friends_of_lana_clarkson_protest_hbo_film_phil_spector/
-https://stylecaster.com/entertainment/tv-movies/1816570/phil-spector-net-worth/
-https://www.tvinsider.com/pe
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Paolo Sbrighi for Musical Composition (instagram.com/paulosbrighi/)
Mario Cintra for Logo Design (instagram.com/alacarala/)