Vintage 1950s Lost Buildings

Vintage 1950s Lost Buildings

(RKO) Pan-Pacific Auditorium

formerly located at 7600 West Beverly Boulevard, Los Angeles

         

          The doors were thrown open to the Pan-Pacific Auditorium (PPA) on May 18, 1935 (Originally it was called RKO Pan-Pacific Auditorium). The first event held there was a home show aimed at hyping then-President Roosevelt's signing of the Title I legislative act "which authorized government loans" aimed at aiding homeowners with repairs and renovations.

          The Pan-Pacific Auditorium was a landmark structure in the Fairfax District near the site of Gilmore Field, an early Los Angeles baseball venue predating Dodger Stadium.

          For over 35 years it was the premier location for indoor public events in Los Angeles. The facility was closed in 1972, beginning 17 years of steady neglect and decay. In 1978 the Pan-Pacific Auditorium was included in the National Register of Historic Places, but 11 years later the sprawling wooden structure was destroyed in a fire.

          Unfortunately,  the pictures of the PPA were in black and white and didn't show its size. We met and interviewed several native Angelinos and they all said it was "huge".  I could imagine the red carpet and stars arriving by limo to this interesting structure during award nights.