Ebell of Los Angeles

] The total cost was $200,000 for the site, $650,000 for the entire structure, and $120,000 for the furnishings. 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." [cite web|title=Marking Another Ebell Milestone: New Edifice Stands as One of America's Finest Club Buildings|publisher=Ebell|date=October 1927|url=http://dbase1.lapl.org/webpics/calindex/documents/08/518430.pdf]

The 1,300-seat theater is known for its acoustics and its Barton pipe organ. 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.cite news|author=Bob Pool|title=Surroundings Wilshire District: Showplace From Another Era Is an Active Heirloom; Built by women, the Wilshire Ebell Theare has been a beehive of entertainment and learning since 1927|publisher=Los Angeles Times|date=2003-11-27]

Amelia Earhart and Judy Garland

In more than eighty years of productions, the Wilshire Ebell has witnessed performances by many stars and celebrities, but two stand out from the rest -- the discovery of Judy Garland and Amelia Earhart's last public appearance.

Young Judy Garland, then known as Baby Frances Gumm, first auditioned on the Wilshire Ebell Theater stage, and was discovered while performing there.cite news|title=Adrians, Juniors Assist in Furthering Ebel Programs|publisher=The Ebell of Los Angeles|date=June 1994|url=http://dbase1.lapl.org/webpics/calindex/documents/02/242.pdf] MGM producer George Sidney later described Garland's first audition this way: "I had made Judy's first screen test. There was a theater here in Los Angeles called the Wilshire-Ebell. ... [T] hey used to put on vaudeville acts on certain nights of the week. This little girl came out with her two sisters and her mother playing the piano. She did a little number with a baseball bat. We took her out to the studio and made a test on a soundstage..." [cite book|author=Ronald L. Davis|title=Just making movies: company directors on the studio system, p. 71|publisher=Univ. Press of Mississippi|date=2005|isbn=1578066913] And in his biography of Garland, Gerold Frank described an early performance on the Wilshire Ebell stage, witnessed by another MGM producer, Joseph L. Mankiewicz: "Judy sang. And in his seat, Joe Mankiewicz, who was to win half a dozen Oscars as a screenwriter and director, underwent a memorable experience. He sat transfixed. Not only the power, but something electric ..."cite book|author=Gerold Frank|title=Judy, p. 57|publisher=Da Capo Press|date=1999|isbn=0306808943] Mankewicz met the 13-year-old Garland backstage at the Ebell and determined to bring her name to the studio's attention.

In 1937, Amelia Earhart made her last public appearance and speech at the Ebell before leaving for her ill-fated around-the-world flight. [cite web|author=Ron Larson|title=A Convergence of Legends at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre|publisher=Masters of Harmony|url=http://www.mastersofharmony.org/view_article/index.php?id=141&PHPSESSID=ae229662cbaf8e7fee9402a2dab58b01] [cite web|title=Wilshire Ebell Theater|publisher=LA.com|url=http://www.la.com/nightlife/Wilshire_Ebell_Theatre.html]

Renovation and historic designation

A major restoration of the Ebell complex commenced in 1989. The theater's seats were recovered, the stage refitted, and new sound and lighting systems installed. Renovation work also extended to the main dining room (also known as the Concert Hall), the Grand Salon/Lounge, the Galleria, and the Art Salon. [cite news|title=Restoration Committee Returns Building to Original Elegance|publisher=The Ebell of Los Angeles|date=June 1994|url=http://dbase1.lapl.org/webpics/calindex/documents/02/242.pdf]

In recent years, 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.

The building has been designated as a historic structure at the local, state and national levels, including the following recognition:
*The Ebell was declared a Los Angeles Cultural Historic Monument in 1982.
*It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1994.
*It has also been designated an Official American Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

ee also

*List of Registered Historic Places in Los Angeles

References

External links

* [http://www.ebellla.com/public/home/index.cfm The Ebell of Los Angeles website]
* [http://theatre.ebellla.com/public/home/index.cfm The Wilshire Ebell Theater website]
* [http://www.preservela.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=171&Itemid=37 PreserveLA.com]