Stifel Theatre

A grand theater opened in 1934 as part of the Municipal Auditorium complex, formerly known as the Kiel Opera House and Peabody Opera House. The St. Louis Paranormal Research Society considers it one of the most haunted buildings they have investigated.

The Stifel Theatre -- formerly known as the Kiel Opera House -- stands in downtown St. Louis as one of the city's premier performing arts venues, a grand theater that has hosted opera, symphony, ballet, and popular entertainment since its construction in the 1930s. But according to staff members and the St. Louis Paranormal Research Society, the theater is also home to one of the most personable ghosts in the city -- a spirit named Rachel who greets visitors with a smile, sings along with performers, and has made the Stifel her permanent stage.

Rachel's identity was established during a spirit communication session conducted by paranormal investigators inside the theater. When an investigator asked the entity to identify herself, a clear female voice responded with the name "Rachel." Since that session, the name has been attached to the theater's primary haunting, and Rachel has become one of St. Louis's most well-known ghosts.

The historical connection that many staff members draw is to a woman who was stabbed to death by her husband in a bar located just down the street from the theater, in 1932, before the current building was constructed. Whether this murdered woman is the same entity who now inhabits the theater is impossible to verify, but the timeline and proximity have created a compelling narrative that the theater's employees have adopted as their working theory.

Rachel's behavior is remarkably theatrical for a ghost. She has been encountered in the lobby, where she reportedly appears to patrons with a warm smile, as if welcoming them to the show. In the balcony, she has been heard singing -- humming warm-up bars and outright belting as if she were a performer preparing for an entrance. Her voice has been heard clearly enough that staff members have gone to investigate, finding the balcony empty but still resonating with sound.

Beyond Rachel, at least two other ghosts have been documented by Eric Cornman, the theater's senior public safety manager. Cornman and his colleagues have witnessed aggressive banging from within the walls -- not the subtle creaks of a settling building but forceful, rhythmic impacts that seem deliberately designed to attract attention. Shadowy figures have been seen moving through the theater's corridors and seating areas, dark silhouettes that are visible momentarily before dissolving into the ambient darkness of the unlit auditorium.

The St. Louis Paranormal Research Society has described the Stifel Theatre as one of the most haunted buildings they have ever investigated, with activity that is both consistent and remarkably diverse. The theater continues to host live performances throughout the year, and those who work within its walls have learned to share their workplace with an audience that applauds silently and a singer who performs for an audience of none.