Death Alley (Iroquois Theatre Fire Site)

In Death Alley, pedestrians passing through the alley report cold spots, whispered voices, the sensation of being watched, and, in some accounts, an unseen hand briefly grabbing their arm. On December 30, 1903, a fire broke out during a packed matinee at the newly opened Iroquois Theatre, killing 602 people — mostly women and children — in what remains the deadliest single-building fire in American history. The theater had been advertised as "absolutely fireproof"; exits were blocked or hidden, and many died trying to escape through doors that had been locked to prevent ticketless entry. The alley behind the theater, used to stack victims' bodies in the fire's aftermath, became known as Death Alley — today the real street called Couch Place. The tragedy led to sweeping reforms in fire safety and building codes still in use today.