The Go-Go's Notebook: Larchmont hall

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Larchmont hall

Larchmont Hall
Larchmont Village
Events held at Larchmont Hall
Larchmont Goes Punk
Favorite Nearby Places

Larchmont Hall

Larchmont Hall was located at 180 N. Larchmont Boulevard, Los Angeles. It was built in 1947. At first it was referred to the new Larchmont Hall. The original Larchmont hall was downtown Los Angeles at 19th and Main Streets.

Larchmont hall was used for over 30 years by the community and for a wide variety of social, educational, and recreational activities such as; local parish council meetings, clubs meetings, community theater, public information gatherings, dances, recreation, rummage sales, art exhibitions and charity fundraisers.

Larchmont Hall - cir 1977

photo source: Hollywood Photographs.com

Same view today

2008 photo: tlc

Entrance to old Larchmont Hall w/ driveway

2008 photo: tlc

Larchmont Village

Larchmont Village is a commercial street within the Windsor Square neighborhood of the Hancock Park district of Los Angeles. Larchmont Village is on Larchmont Boulevard between Beverly Boulevard and 1st Street (however shops do extend to Melrose Avenue to the north).

There are many upscale boutiques and sidewalk cafes along this Main Street.

Looking north up Larchmont from Beverly Blvd.

1948 photo source: Larchmont.com

It is a quaint and friendly shopping district in one of the oldest and historically significant neighborhoods in L.A. Windsor Square runs from Wilshire to Beverly Boulevards and from Arden Boulevard to Van New Avenue. Hancock Park is the neighborhood immediately to the west of Windsor Square.

Many of the homes in the neighborhoods ow Hancock Park and Windsor Square were built in the 1910's and /20's. They and range in styles from small bungalow to grand old estate.

Petitfils-Boos House

Hancock Park

2008 photo: tlc

Looking north on Plymouth Blvd. - near 5th St.

2008 photo: tlc

From the 1940's through the '70's - Larchmont Hall served as a meeting hall for all types of social and civic organizations.

Events held at Larchmont Hall

1940's & '50's

Cooking classes and demonstrations
College sorority pledge presentations
Medical benefit fashion shows
Club installation dinners
Hadassah group meetings
Children's Welfare League
Ladies Axillary of the Military Order of the Purple Heart Hollywood Chapter
Hollywood Women's Auxiliary - California Chiropractic Association organization dinner

1960's

Fairfax Men's Club annual Father's Day celebration
Wedding receptions
Wedding services
Anniversary dinner of the American-Russian Institute of Southern California
Teen-Age Charity Balls
California Women's Cancer League
Children's Home Society Auxiliary Guild Fashion tea
Weddings
Footprint Association Chapter meetings
Auction benefits
Passover services
Mothers Auxiliary of Spastic Children's Foundation annual dinner dance
Young Republican
Hollywood Chapter of Women of the Motion Picture Industry benefit dance
Daughters of Penelope
East Valley Youth Foundation benefits

1970's

Adoption Guild Bazaar to benefit Holy Family Adoption Service of L.A.
Cordon Blew cooking School
International Jazz Film Festival
Southern California Hot Jazz Society monthly jam sessions
Southern California Chapter of the Embroiderer's Guild

The number of community events held at Larchmont Hall dwindled substantially in the 1970's.

The hall struggled for survival. The neighborhood demographics were changing. Many well-to-do residents left this aging mid-city area for the newer, more fashionable San Fernando Valley or Orange County. Many social clubs moved out with them.

1977 Larchmont Hall Goes Punk

In the Summer of 1977 sleepy little Larchmont Village became of pocket of punk music as Larchmont Hall host several fund raising benefit concerts for Slash magazine.

SLASH fanzine

In 1977/78, Los Angeles had several fanzines reporting on the local music scene including: Lobotomy, Flipside, Bomp, Back Door Man, and Poseur.

Probably the most widely read and best L.A. best alternative music magazine was SLASH. SLASH started up in 1977. It dealt solely with new wave music. SLASH staff included co-founder Philomena, Steve Samiof editor, Claude Bessy (aka Kickboy Face) chief writer and Melanie Nissen photographer. They were about 20 contributors.

However, the fanzines business is not a very profitable industry. The point of a fanzine is to promote fandom. Consequently, most fanzines had a very short life.

To help make ends meet, fanzines often sponsored benefit concerts which featured local punk rock bands.

In July 1977 - SLASH sponsored the first of several benefits for itself at Larchmont Hall.

Bands included:

the Screamers
Germs
Dils

July 8 1977

the Weirdo's
Zero's
Germs

At these shows, there was a huge amount of interaction between the band and the audience. When the crowd started to pogo dance, the hall's managers often told the band to stop and would either pull the plug or turn off the lights. This just caused the crowd to go more wild.

August 5, 1977

source: the Screamers

August 16/17 1977

2nd benefit for Slash

Screamers
Dils
Germs

October 21, 1977 - Slash Magazine Benefit

Dils
Avengers
X

March 24, 1978

Skulls,
Deadbeat
F-Word
Fear

April 21 1978

the Germs
the Bags
Middle Class
the Controllers

April 21, 1978 concert flier

May 26, 1978

Zero's
Clones
the Last
Johnny Novotny

June 9, 1978

Controllers
Shakers
Middle Class

Larchmont Hall continued to be used for monthly jazz performances until the late 1970's.

In 1979 til 1983 Larchmont Hall became a clothing warehouse for the The London Shop. At the time there were six London Shops in Los Angeles. One was inside the Roosevelt Hotel. They Featured British imports in men's clothing and accessories.