Go-Go's Play BACES Hall
- November 10, 1978
A lot has been written about cool West Hollywood and the clubs on the Sunset Strip. Now we get to talk about the cool East Hollywood part of town.
In the late 1970's, local bands had to look far and wide to find a stage on which to perform. For the most part, they were shut out of the established clubs in West Hollywood which were only booking bands with strong followings or record deals.
So...often local bands would try to book a gig in a local community halls. They would promote the show themselves by posting flyers on telephone poles and on sides of buildings throughout town. These concerts were a total do-it-yourself affairs.
Bands usually had more luck booking a gig in a community halls that was pretty run down and not in great demand by other social organizations to use. One of these halls was BACES.
- BACES location
- What is BACES
- BACES place in East Hollywood
- Cool Places - East Hollywood
BACES Hall
BACES hall was located in east Hollywood at the northeast corner of Vermont and Maubert Street.
New BACES Building
2008 photo: tlc
On November 10, 1978 - the Go-Go's played at the old BACES - along with the Avengers and the Flyboys.
Also on the program was a Sex Pistol's film of their recent concerts at Winterland in San Francisco. Brendan Mullen sponsored the show.
Hanging out before a show at BACES
Sadly - soon after this show one of the Flyboy's ( David Wilson) - was killed in an auto accident.
The Flyboys
The Avengers
In 1978 - 1980 BACES hall provided an important platform for many young local bands to play.
April 20, 1978
Oct 6, 1978
What is BACES
Bulgarian-American Cultural Educational Society
BACES is a non-profit corporation which started in 1947 to promote, foster and preserve Bulgarian culture and tradition - and to introduce certain aspects of this culture into the American way of life.
BACES is a non-profit corporation which started in 1947 to promote, foster and preserve Bulgarian culture and tradition - and to introduce certain aspects of this culture into the American way of life.
The East Hollywood Neighborhood of BACES
The original BACES building was built in the mid 1950's for Bulgarian-Americans to have meetings and social events.
New BACES Building
2008 photo: tlc
In the 1950's and 60's BACES hall was a popular place to have social gatherings, lectures, music performances, auctions, encounter meetings, benefit shows, cat shows, art shows, fund raising dances and concerts.
Clubs that would regularly meet at BACES hall included: Club Columbia South America, the San Fernando Valley Hellenic Society (a Greek Club), the Los Feliz Forum, Wilshire Young Democrats, Mid Town Democrats, March of Dimes and their benefit dinners, the Los Feliz Republican Women's Club, Los Feliz GOP, the Child Evangelism Fellowship banquet and anniversary parties.
In 1967 the hall hosted a Russian-Armenian traditional supper catered by Yervand Markarian of the Kavkaz restaurant. There was even a a floor show, dancing and gypsy music singing.
The BACES neighborhood
During the 1920's many Russians fled their homeland during the communist revolution and settled in East Hollywood. Armenians also settled here after the 1915 Armenian Genocide by the Turkish Ottoman Empire. Eastern Europeans seeking other Eastern Europeans often settled in East Hollywood.
2008 photo: tlc
Housing stock in this neighborhood consisted primarily of small houses and small apartments which sheltered newly arrived Armenian, Russian, Filipino and Latino immigrants.
In 1947 the Hollywood Freeway was built and cut through east Hollywood. This had a jarring affected on the neighborhood as many dwellings were razed. The Hollywood Freeway is the
southwestern boarder of east Hollywood.
View looking west from Western Ave (center)
1952 photo: LAPL Herald-Examiner Collection/LAPL
BACES hall was located near Los Angele's Pill Hill or Bed Pan Alley. No other district on the West Coast has such a cluster of large hospitals. There is Hollywood Presbyterian (now owned and operated by CHA Health Systems, Kaiser Permanente and Children's Hospital and until it moved in 1976 the Cedars of Lebanon Hospital - all withing walking distance to each other. The streets were peppered with uniform shops, fast food stands, drug stores and medical offices.
Looking west down Sunset Blvd. at Vermont Ave.
2008 photo: tlc
It you had a physical problem or spiritual problem, this is a good neighborhood to be in. In 1976 the old Cedars of Lebanon Hospital on Fountain Avenue near Vermont was sold to the Church of Scientology. It was then painted an eye catching turquoise blue.
Former Cedars of Lebanon is now a Scientology Center
2008 photo: tlc
2008 photo: tlc
In front of the Scientology Center is the Self Realization Fellowship
Self Realization Fellowship
2008 photo: tlc
Kitty corner to BACES to the northwest and behind a strip mall is Barnsdall Park - which also has a Frank Lloyd Wright house - Hollyhock House. Barnsdall Art Park (1919-21) is up on Olive hill directly west of BACES Hall.
Looking northwest from BACES is Barnsdall Park/Hollyhock House
2008 photo: tlc
2008 photo: tlc
Hollyhock house
2008 photo: tlc
Hollyhock house
2008 photo: tlc
View looking north from the Hollyhock house
2008 photo: tlc
Farther Afield - to the north of BACES
North of BACES is the affluent Los Feliz district. Los Feliz was home to many early movie stars. It is home to Griffith Park, Griffith Observatory, the Frank Lloyd Wright's Ennis-Brown house and the Greek Theater.
Griffith Observatory
2008 photo: tlc
Ennis-Brown House
2008 photo: tlc
Farther Afield - to the South of BACES
Cahuenga Branch Los Angeles Public Library 4591 Santa Monica Boulevard. The library was built in 1916.
2008 photo: tlc
2008 photo: tlc
LACC was the campus of UCLA before UCLA moved to the westside
1956 photo: Los Angeles Times/ UCLA Library
Decline and fall of BACES
In the 1970's BACES started to show wear and tear. The neighborhood was also in decline. Middle class residents moved to the Valley. New immigrants and foreign born moved in primarily - Filipinos, Asians, Armenian and Russian.
Social clubs that had met at BACES in the 1950's & '60's suddenly sought out other places to hold their meetings. There was the feeling that the neighborhood was not safe. There had been an increase in gang violence and homelessness. The transiency rate increased. Many banks, stores and businesses moved out. In 1976 the large Cedars of Lebanon Hospital on Fountain Ave. moved to to the Westside.
BACES struggled along with the changing demographics. Now it's hall was used primarily for rug and jewlry auctions.
In 1978 - 1980 BACES was one of the few places that would rented out the auditorium for local rock bands to play.
When the time that the Go-Go's played here in November 1978 BACES was on it's last days. It was a rather dark cavernous auditorium with a poor, quirky sound system and shadowy, incompetent lighting.
In the early 1980s BACES quit hosting punk music after several incidents involving bands, music fans and the police.
By 1980 the original punk rock music scene had evolved into something quite different. The music and the fans became more hard core and confrontational. Bands such as Black Flag attracted a more extremist punk following. Their shows often ended with confrontations with the police. Such incidents perpetuated the image of punk fans as a bunch of hooligans. Black Flag concerts were often the catalyst for these violent outbreaks. In November 1980, Black Flag and their followers were at BACES hall. There was a clash outside when a swarm of young rockers massed across the street from the hall, taunted police with obscene gestures and chanted of Sieg Heil.
There was often turmoil on the virtually all male dance floor. The dance pit became a quite rough and a dangerous place to be as young men perfomed some form ritual type brawl. This type of activity only discouraged females onto the dance floor or close to the stage.
BACES Hall today
2008 photo: tlc
1 comments:
Wow, great article, I really appreciate your thought process and having it explained properly, thank you!
Banquet Halls in San Fernando Valley
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