Perkins Palace

The GoGos played Perkin's Palace on March 20, 1981 

129 N. Raymond Avenue, Pasadena CA

Jensen's Raymond Theatre

The theater at 129 N. Raymond Avenue was originally known as the Jensen's Raymond Theatre. It was built by the German immigrant Henry C. Jensen (& Sons) who was a mason and in the brick manufacturing business. 

Jensen's Raymond Theatre

The 1,800 seat theater officially opened in 1921 and staged popular vaudeville shows. Recently the gracious Raymond Theater was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. 

Nice bricks

Interior

photo: raymondtheater.com

Jensen & Sons built several other heavy on the bricks  buildings in the L.A. area including the Jenson's Recreation Center on Sunset Blvd. in Echo Park. 

Jensen's Recreation Center - Echo Park

With the cool sign on top

In 1948 Jensen's Raymond Theater was sold to Crown Holding Corporation and renamed Lowe's Crown Theatre. It operated as the Crown Theater until 1974 when was then sold to Dr. Nathan Roth (father of rocker David Lee Roth). 

As the theater looked in the '70's

Unfortunately, in the 1970's the surrounding Pasadena old town neighborhood was in declined. Many of the old retail buildings along Colorado Boulevard were boarded up. The theater finally closed down in 1976.

Perkins Palace

In 1979 the old Raymond Theater was purchased by Marc Perkins.  Perkins was a former investment counselor. He and his brother Jim believed the old theater had potential for a mid size concert venue. They partnered with then Loyola law student Mark Garagos and renamed the theater Perkins Palace. 

Note: Mark Garagos went on to become a high profile Los Angeles defense lawyer (think Scott Petersen, Michael Jackson).

Pasadena

Pasadena was considered off the beaten path to open a rock venue.  Located about 15 miles northeast of Hollywood,  Pasadena had a reputation as an enclave of old stodgy people.  Many people in Hollywood never went to Pasadena and vice versa. 

In the  '70's this part of old town Pasadena was not the bustling and trendy place it is today. Most of the old buildings (and inhabitants) were run down and derelict - including the old Raymond Theater. 

The Raymond Theatre was located about two block north of the then seedy Colorado Boulevard and across the street from the neglected and scary Memorial Park. 

 Pasadena's beautiful City Hall

 Memorial Park is across the street from the Raymond Theater

The theater today,  looking south down Raymond Ave. Next door north is  the Armory Center for the Arts

Former Perkins Palace (Raymond Theater)  as it appears today

But - Pasadena  did have the honor of being home to the quirky underground radio station KPPC-FM 106.7 between 1967 and 1971. KPPC FM had a free-form presentation and broadcasted a wide range of off-beat music and featured counter culture personalities such as Michael McKean, Harry Shearer David Lander and Dr. Demento. This was probably the coolest radio station L.A. ever had. R.I.P. KPPC.

KROQ 

In 1973, KROQ took over the former KPPC-FM 106.7 radio station in Pasadena.  The fledgling KROQ got off to a very roq-ky start and even shut down for a couple years. Then, in 1976 KROQ-FM  reemerged with new management, staff, and  personalities. But it still struggled to find it's voice and and capture a loyal audience. 

In 1981 everything came together.  KROQ-FM decided to go Top 40 New Wave. This format quickly connected with the younger audience. For young ears this music was fresh, fun and exciting. The music rotation was heavy on all the cutting edge new wave bands coming out of Britain. And there was nothing else like it on the radio. It featured bands such as the Clash, the Waitresses, Adam and the Ants, U-2, the Knack and our own Go-Go's. 

KROQ zoomed up in ratings. It was suddenly rated  #2 in the youth market. 

Perkins Palace

At first Perkins had a wide booking policy of new and established  acts. 

 

1980 - bands that played at Perkins included:

Weather Report (Feb 22)

Leon Russell

Ronnie Laws Music Center

Smokey Robinson

Air Supply

Dave Mason

Roberta Flack

Oingo Boingo, Sumner, Shandi and the Heaters (Oct 31)

Poco

the Tempatations

the Vapors

Oingo Boing, Suburban Lawns (New Years Eve)

In the fall of 1980, Perkins Palace switched to a new band new wave policy. In doing so, Perkins became the perfect outlet for a slew of New Wave bands coming to the USA to show off their chops. Pasadena's Perkins Palace and KROQ-FM became the L.A. theater of this new wave of a British invasion. 

Between 1981 and 1983  Perkins Palace turned sleepy Pasadena into a hot bed of rock. 

The Starwood in Hollywood closed down in early 1981. It's closer left a void for mid-size rock venue (1,000 +/- seat).

Wolf & Rissmiller's Country Club in Reseda was another popular mid size suburban venue at this time.

Perkins Palace became a great alternative venue. It was a cool and historic theater with comfortable seats, great sight lines and easy parking. 

Perkins Palace worked closely with KROQ-FM to see which new bands generated the best response. Perkins Palace would host new bands getting lots of radio play on KROQ. Indeed, many shows presented at the Palace were presented in association with KROQ. 

1981 KROQ/Perkins, Perkins, Garagos Presents 

In 1981, Perkins Palace became the regular stopping point for hip British bands

1981

Tonio K

Tierra

Rubber City Rebels

Gears

Bobby & the Midnighters

X, Suburban Lawns, Alley Cats, Human Hands (Feb 20th)

Gary Myrick

the Plimsouls

Wall of Voodoo

the GoGo's - March 20th sold out show

Air Supply

Adam and the Ants

Surf Punks

Knack

Fabulous Thunderbirds

Romeo Void

Naughty Sweeties

Plasmatics

Phil Seymour

Joe Cocker

Tommy Tutone

Firefall

Waitresses

Billy and the Beaters

the Dickies

Missing Persons

Tine Turner

Squeeze

Gang of Four

Stiff Little Finger

Cramps

Plimsours

Joe Jackson

Dave Mason

the Cure

the Ramones

the Tubes

Joan Jett & the Blackheart

Gary U.S. Bonds

Kim Carnes

English Beat

Pretenders

Bruce Springsteen

New Order

the Specials

Siouxsie & the Banshees

Romantics

Todd Rundgren

Joy Division

King Crimson

In 1982 Perkins hired concert promoter Gina Zamparelli to help book and manage the place.

Perkins now worked with L.A. concert promoters Avalon Attractions and other radio stations such as KLOS and KMET in presenting shows. 

1982 

Rickie Lee Jones

Pointer Sisters

Missing Persons

Pete Shelly

Krocus

Depeche Mode

Waitresses

the Jam

Human League

Flock of Seagulls

Joe Cocker

Bow Wow Wow

John Waite

Talking Heads

R.E.M.

Gang of Four

RIOT

Gary Numan

Wall of Voodoo

Motley Crue

Plasmatics

Romantics

Blasters

Plugz

At this Perkins Palace started to lose business to the newly opened Palace Theater in Hollywood (1,100 capacity)  and the Beverly Theater (1,400 capacity) on Canon Drive, BHs.

1983

Psychodelic Furs

Los Lobos

Modern English

Laurie Anderson

Ultavox

Simple Minds

Thompson Twins

Quiet Riot

Ratt

1984

Toy Dolls

Social Distortion 

Black Flag

Cramps

Cult

Nick Cave

Leon Russell

The theater was also used for several movies, including: This is Spinal Tap, Pulp Fiction, the Rose and the Bodyguard. 

R.I.P. Raymond Theater

Then, in 1985  Marc Perkins closed down the theater. He sold it to property developers Gene and Marilyn Buchanan who intended to build apartments and retail on the site.  For over 20 years this proposal was fought by historic preservationist, primarily a group called Friends of the Raymond, a community based non profit organization headed by Gina Zamparelli. 

However, preservationist finally lost their battle.  The interior of the old theater has pretty much been gutted and work is underway to adapt the historic theater into another retail/commercial/office/housing space. They say steps are being made to save the facade and historic interior elements as a remembrance for what was once a great theater. 

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BACES

Go-Go's Play BACES Hall

• November 10, 1978 

BACES Hall
1528 Vermont Street

Los Angeles, CA

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.

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

Los Angeles City College (LACC)  located at Vermont and Santa Monica Blvd. 

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

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Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel

The GoGo's played the Roosevelt Hotel

• October 21, 1978

Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel

7000 Hollywood Boulevard

Hollywood, Calif

• Go-Go's at the Roosevelt Hotel
  
• Historic Roosevelt
  
• 1st Academy Awards
  
• The Blossom Room

On October 31, 1978 the Go-Go's played at the Blossom Room inside Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.

1934:USC  photo archives

Also performing that night were the Germs, the Hal Negro and the Satin Tones, and the Mau Maus.

It was billed as the Halloween Holocaust Ball. Of course, the Germs trashed the place and were banned from playing there again. 

Historic Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel

The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel was built in 1927 at the southwest corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Sycamore Ave. It was developed by real estate mogul Charles Toberman with investors from the elite movie industry including Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks and Luis B. Mayer. (Other Toberman property included the Chinese Theater, the El Capitan and Egyptian Theater).

 The hotel was named in honor of President Theodore Roosevelt.  It is located across from the Grauman's Chinese Theater  - and it quickly became a gathering place for Hollywood luminaries. 

Grauman's Chinese Theater

2008 photo: tlc

 The elegant 12-story Spanish style hotel had 302 rooms and suites. Stepping into the lobby is reminiscent of Hollywood's glamorous past with its Spanish tile floors and beautiful painted wood beam ceiling. Many stars lived here at some point in there careers including Douglas Fairbanks,  Marilyn Monroe, Montgomery Cliff and Clark Gable. 

The Roosevelt Hotel housed the Blossom Room and the Cinegrill. The Blossom Room was a dining and dancing room. The Cinegrill was a more intimate club that hosted the best in jazz and cabaret entertainment nearly  60 years. 

1st Academy Awards

The Hollywood Roosevelt held the meetings of the Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences from 1927 - 1935.  The Blossom Room banquet room was the site of  the 1st Academy

Awards in 1929. Attendance was 270 and tickets were $5.00. Wings won in the Best Picture category. 

1st Awards: May 16, 1929

Thursday, 8:00 p.m.

Blossom Room of the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel (banquet)

Hosts - Academy President Douglas Fairbanks,

William C. deMille

The Blossom Room - 1929

The Blossom Room

The Blossom Room is a large Spanish style banquet room located inside the Roosevelt Hotel. 

source: Los Angeles Times

source: Arkiva Tropika

For years it was a favorite place to host Hollywood luncheons and events- and dance.

The Blossom Room - 1939

source: Hollywood photographic collection

In the 1930's radio shows broad casted from the Blossom Room while dance bands playing live shows over the airwaves. 

 

Dance lessons  in the Blossom Room

1952 photo: Los Angeles Herald Examiner

Dancing Lessons

1952 photo: Los Angeles Herald Examiner

In the 1950's and 60's the Blossom Room was used for the TV show This is Your Life - a popular TV  show that ran for 12 years hosted by Ralph Edwards.  The week's surprise guest was always treated to a gala reception at the Blossom Room. 

Queen For a Day

Winners from the hit 1950's TV show Queen for a Day also received a reception at the Roosevelt. Host was Jack Bailey. 

In the late 1960's and early 1970's the shine of the once glamorous Roosevelt Hotel and the Blossom Room started to fade - as did the neighborhood. The Blossom Room was often rented out for group seminars, training classes, auctions etc. 

In the 1970's the Hollywood Roosevelt struggled.  Occupancy declined as the neighborhood became blighted.  Area developers shunned Hollywood because of its deterioration. 

By the mid 1970's the Blossom Room decor had become shabby and tacky. False ceiling covered the original ceilings and worn rugs covered the dance floor. 

 May 1977 -  the Cycle Sluts'77 came to town - and they stayed 6 months at the Roosevelt Hotel.

 

source: Los Angeles Times

 

Cycle Sluts was a modern cabaret style rock show presented inside the Blossom Room. The show was a performed by a troop of  trashy and sassy street glamour types complete with beards and glitter faces.   There were biker beauty pageant skits, choreography and live band. 

On the skids, the Hollywood Roosevelt was sold in March of 1978.  The new owners promised to restore the former glamorous hotel - but it never happened as financial investors and developers shunned Hollywood because of the neighborhood's deterioration.  For the next 6 years the hotel and most of Hollywood fell further into disrepair. 

It's walls were covered with graffiti.  Its once elegant lobby with tiled fountain and floors was furnished with card table and lawn chairs.  Occupancy was low - cheep rooms were often rented to transients.

It was obvious that Hollywood had hit rock bottom. As the movie industry left town, so did banks, upscale stores and restaurants. There was suddenly  a plethora of porn shops, pimps, prostitutes, street bandits and  violence. 

Mayor Bradley promises promises to tackle the problem. He appointed a special task force called the Metro Squad. The Metro Squad consisted of 180 men was committed to Hollywood in mid 1977 as an assault on vice and street crime. 

photo source: Los Angeles Public Library Photo Archive

In 1984 the hotel was sold again. A giant public liquidation sale was held to empty the hotel of all its old furnishings and equipment such as well worn restaurant booths, thin terry cloth towels, white diner ware.  Everything, including the cash register, typewriters, pictures of movie stars, ice makers, TVs mattresses bedding event the kitchen sink must go. 

Hollywood Roosevelt Liquidation Sale - 1984

1984 photo: Lisa Hatalsky for The Herald Examiner

The Blossom Room today - entrance

2008 photo: tlc

View of the Blossom Room from upper mezzanine

2008 photo: tlc

2008 photo: tlc

2008 photo: tlc

View looking south towards Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel

from Yamashiro's restaurant

2008 photo: tlc

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