Archival Photo

A2011-001.1575 : Philharmonic Auditorium and California Club : Los Angles, CA

Tuesday, December 31, 1907

A2011-001

AP/87122

Date is circa. The photo is looking down 5th St looking east from Olive St, it shows the Philharmonic Auditorium in the front left and the California Club in the back left of the photo. The Auditorium opened November 7, 1906 as the Temple Auditorium with a production of "Aida." It was a $350,000 project funded by the Temple Baptist Church and local businessmen. It was built on the site of the 1887 Hazard's Pavilion. The California Club is a members-only private social club established in 1888 in downtown Los Angeles, and the second-oldest such club in Southern California. There is an old adage that goes "The people who run Los Angeles belong to The Jonathan Club; the people who own Los Angeles belong to The California Club." The membership is by invitation only. All new members must be invited by at least six existing members of the Club, and pass a series of interviews by the Club's Membership Committee, as well as background and reference checks. The California Club moved to the location in the photo (on 5th St) in 1904 and stayed there until 1930, when they moved into their own building they built.