Ebell of Los Angeles | |
Location | 743 S. Lucerne Boulevard, Los Angeles, California |
---|---|
Coordinates | 34°3′42″N 118°19′27″W / 34.06167°N 118.32417°W |
Built | 1927 |
Architect | Hunt, Sumner P.; Schofield Engineering & Construction |
Architectural style | Italian Renaissance |
NRHP reference No. | 94000401 [1] |
LAHCM No. | 250 |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | May 6, 1994 |
Designated LAHCM | 1982-08-25 [2] |
The Ebell of Los Angeles is a women-led and women-centered nonprofit housed in a historic campus in the Mid-Wilshire section of Los Angeles, California. It includes numerous performance spaces, meeting rooms, classrooms, and the 1,238-seat Wilshire Ebell Theatre. The Ebell works to uplift the Los Angeles community through arts, learning, and service.
The campus has been owned and operated since 1927 by the Ebell of Los Angeles women's organization, which was formed in Los Angeles in 1894. [3] Since 1927, the Wilshire Ebell Theatre has hosted musical performances and lectures by world leaders and top artists. Among other events, the Ebell was the site of aviator Amelia Earhart's last public appearance before attempting the 1937 around-the-world flight during which she disappeared. It is also the place where Judy Garland was discovered while performing as Baby Frances Gumm in the 1930s.
Ebell of Los Angeles was formed as a women's club in 1894, based on the principles and teachings of Adrian Ebell, a pioneer in women's education and organizing women's societies in the late 19th century. Harriet Williams Russell Strong was a founder of the club, serving as its president for three consecutive terms. The minutes of the first meeting of Ebell of Los Angeles identified its purpose "to interest women in the study of all branches of literature, art and science and the advancement of women in every branch of culture." [4] The club adopted as its motto, "I will find a way or make one -- I serve." [4]
Over the years, the group has conducted classes, and hosted lectures and seminars, on topics including psychology, parliamentary law, travel, literature, music, gardening, and science. [5] Even before moving to its current quarters, it actively promoted the arts, as when from May 23 to July 25, 1919, it sponsored a marathon ten-week series of chamber music recitals by the Zoellner Quartet. [6]
In 1923, the group announced plans to build a new clubhouse and theater west of downtown on Wilshire Boulevard. [7] Before construction began, the lot at Wilshire Boulevard and Shatto Place had appreciated and was sold for a profit; [8] a new lot at the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Lucerne was purchased in 1925. [9] [10]
The group commissioned architect Sumner P. Hunt of Hunt & Burns to design the new facility, [11] which was designed in an Italian style with plaster facing and Italian clay tile roofing. [12] The new facilities consisted of multiple structures covering a site 160 by 450 feet (49 m × 137 m), surrounding a 65-by-120-foot (20 m × 37 m) patio area. [12] The new facilities included a new 1,300-seat auditorium at the rear of the property facing 8th Street. The two-story structure facing Wilshire Boulevard houses the group's clubhouse, including a large lounge, art salon, and dining room. [13] The dining room opens to a tile-roofed colonnade walkway and fountain. [5]
The clubhouse opened with a musicale tea in October 1927, [14] [15] [16] and the Wilshire Ebell Theater, originally known as the Windsor Square Playhouse, opened to the public in December 1927 with the west coast premiere of Sigmund Romberg's musical The Desert Song. [17] When the buildings opened, the group's president wrote in the club's newsletter:
The result of their tireless and unceasing labor may be seen at 4400 Wilshire Boulevard where a stately group of buildings now adorns a sightly eminence. The separated units have been so carefully designed as to form a magnificent mass, a colossal edifice, severely simple, classically correct, pleasing in its very ruggedness, elegant in its ornate adornment, suited to the purpose for which it was built. [18]
The total cost was $200,000 for the site, $650,000 for the entire structure, and $120,000 for the furnishings. [18] Another writer observed: "Nowhere in America is there a more magnificent women's club house than the new home of Ebell. ... Every modern convenience and appliance, together with furnishings of the finest quality, are within its walls. It is lavish, but not flamboyantly so. It is practical and it has beauty and inspiring charm." [19]
The 1,300-seat theater is known for its acoustics and its Barton pipe organ. [17] The Los Angeles Times in 2003 described the theater as "the grande dame of genteel grace," "a cultural centerpiece for Los Angeles," and "one of the area's most striking" auditoriums. [5]
In more than eighty years of productions, the Wilshire Ebell has witnessed performances by many stars and celebrities, but some stand out from the rest.
A major restoration of the Ebell complex commenced in 1989. The theater's seats were re-covered, the stage refitted, and new sound and lighting systems installed. [17] Renovation work also extended to the main dining room (also known as the Concert Hall), the Grand Salon and Lounge, the Galleria, and the Art Salon. [30]
In recent years,[ when?] the events held at the Wilshire Ebell Theater have reflected the ethnic diversity of the neighborhood, with shows staged in Persian, Korean, and Russian. It has also been the site of annual "Divas Simply Singing" benefits for AIDS, featuring singers Nancy Wilson, Roberta Flack, Rita Moreno, and Toni Tennille. [5]
The building has been designated as a historic structure at the local, state and national levels, including the following recognition:
Ebell of Los Angeles | |
Location | 743 S. Lucerne Boulevard, Los Angeles, California |
---|---|
Coordinates | 34°3′42″N 118°19′27″W / 34.06167°N 118.32417°W |
Built | 1927 |
Architect | Hunt, Sumner P.; Schofield Engineering & Construction |
Architectural style | Italian Renaissance |
NRHP reference No. | 94000401 [1] |
LAHCM No. | 250 |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | May 6, 1994 |
Designated LAHCM | 1982-08-25 [2] |
The Ebell of Los Angeles is a women-led and women-centered nonprofit housed in a historic campus in the Mid-Wilshire section of Los Angeles, California. It includes numerous performance spaces, meeting rooms, classrooms, and the 1,238-seat Wilshire Ebell Theatre. The Ebell works to uplift the Los Angeles community through arts, learning, and service.
The campus has been owned and operated since 1927 by the Ebell of Los Angeles women's organization, which was formed in Los Angeles in 1894. [3] Since 1927, the Wilshire Ebell Theatre has hosted musical performances and lectures by world leaders and top artists. Among other events, the Ebell was the site of aviator Amelia Earhart's last public appearance before attempting the 1937 around-the-world flight during which she disappeared. It is also the place where Judy Garland was discovered while performing as Baby Frances Gumm in the 1930s.
Ebell of Los Angeles was formed as a women's club in 1894, based on the principles and teachings of Adrian Ebell, a pioneer in women's education and organizing women's societies in the late 19th century. Harriet Williams Russell Strong was a founder of the club, serving as its president for three consecutive terms. The minutes of the first meeting of Ebell of Los Angeles identified its purpose "to interest women in the study of all branches of literature, art and science and the advancement of women in every branch of culture." [4] The club adopted as its motto, "I will find a way or make one -- I serve." [4]
Over the years, the group has conducted classes, and hosted lectures and seminars, on topics including psychology, parliamentary law, travel, literature, music, gardening, and science. [5] Even before moving to its current quarters, it actively promoted the arts, as when from May 23 to July 25, 1919, it sponsored a marathon ten-week series of chamber music recitals by the Zoellner Quartet. [6]
In 1923, the group announced plans to build a new clubhouse and theater west of downtown on Wilshire Boulevard. [7] Before construction began, the lot at Wilshire Boulevard and Shatto Place had appreciated and was sold for a profit; [8] a new lot at the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Lucerne was purchased in 1925. [9] [10]
The group commissioned architect Sumner P. Hunt of Hunt & Burns to design the new facility, [11] which was designed in an Italian style with plaster facing and Italian clay tile roofing. [12] The new facilities consisted of multiple structures covering a site 160 by 450 feet (49 m × 137 m), surrounding a 65-by-120-foot (20 m × 37 m) patio area. [12] The new facilities included a new 1,300-seat auditorium at the rear of the property facing 8th Street. The two-story structure facing Wilshire Boulevard houses the group's clubhouse, including a large lounge, art salon, and dining room. [13] The dining room opens to a tile-roofed colonnade walkway and fountain. [5]
The clubhouse opened with a musicale tea in October 1927, [14] [15] [16] and the Wilshire Ebell Theater, originally known as the Windsor Square Playhouse, opened to the public in December 1927 with the west coast premiere of Sigmund Romberg's musical The Desert Song. [17] When the buildings opened, the group's president wrote in the club's newsletter:
The result of their tireless and unceasing labor may be seen at 4400 Wilshire Boulevard where a stately group of buildings now adorns a sightly eminence. The separated units have been so carefully designed as to form a magnificent mass, a colossal edifice, severely simple, classically correct, pleasing in its very ruggedness, elegant in its ornate adornment, suited to the purpose for which it was built. [18]
The total cost was $200,000 for the site, $650,000 for the entire structure, and $120,000 for the furnishings. [18] Another writer observed: "Nowhere in America is there a more magnificent women's club house than the new home of Ebell. ... Every modern convenience and appliance, together with furnishings of the finest quality, are within its walls. It is lavish, but not flamboyantly so. It is practical and it has beauty and inspiring charm." [19]
The 1,300-seat theater is known for its acoustics and its Barton pipe organ. [17] The Los Angeles Times in 2003 described the theater as "the grande dame of genteel grace," "a cultural centerpiece for Los Angeles," and "one of the area's most striking" auditoriums. [5]
In more than eighty years of productions, the Wilshire Ebell has witnessed performances by many stars and celebrities, but some stand out from the rest.
A major restoration of the Ebell complex commenced in 1989. The theater's seats were re-covered, the stage refitted, and new sound and lighting systems installed. [17] Renovation work also extended to the main dining room (also known as the Concert Hall), the Grand Salon and Lounge, the Galleria, and the Art Salon. [30]
In recent years,[ when?] the events held at the Wilshire Ebell Theater have reflected the ethnic diversity of the neighborhood, with shows staged in Persian, Korean, and Russian. It has also been the site of annual "Divas Simply Singing" benefits for AIDS, featuring singers Nancy Wilson, Roberta Flack, Rita Moreno, and Toni Tennille. [5]
The building has been designated as a historic structure at the local, state and national levels, including the following recognition: