Life and Death of the Pan-Pacific Auditorium, History of a Los Angeles Landmark.

[@northprime_unlimited]

Hey, it’s XANADU‼️ I was a kid when it burned down, I was bummed. I had never seen the inside until this video. Your research and these pictures are AWESOME!!

[@simon5005]

Xanadu was the first thing I thought of too......... LOL!!!

[@jayski9410]

I had never seen the inside either. I had no idea it was really just a big open space which could be configured for many uses. So it's facade is what really made it distinctive. Fortunately that lives on at Disney.

[@dawncassellia1882]

LOL!!! That's exactly what I said when I saw it😂

[@northprime_unlimited]

@georgerady9706 Ice Capades that’s something I haven’t heard in an awhile!

[@johnquiroz8279]

Yep as I saw the movie came up and thought of Olivia I miss her

[@gartwilliams3347]

It’s too bad people still insist on vandalizing buildings that pay homage to the past.

[@hughestodd]

I moved to LA from Seattle 10/88. I had some friends there and they said “what do you want to see first”? I said Pan Pacific Auditorium. They asked why??? I said I was fascinated by it because of the Xanadu movie (1980). It had the chain link fence around it and was very sad looking but magnificent at the same time. I went one more time 1/89, then heard it burned down. It’s important to see places, nothing lasts forever.

[@AdamOMcMurphy]

I wish I could "like" this 100x!

[@MoreThanAMuppet]

When my sister came to visit me in LA in 1988 the only thing she wanted to see was “Xanadu.” Just a year later I watched it burn from the balcony of my home. Just heartbreaking. Thanks for a really wonderful memorial of this iconic piece of history.

[@fordprefect80]

I instantly recognised it as the building from Xanadu. Wow, Los Angeles was quite the place in the old days.

[@AdamOMcMurphy]

Still pretty fantastic. Different, but not too shabby

[@Bareege]

When I was a kid in the 1950s, I went to the Pan-Pacific to see the Peter Pan Ice Capades. I also went with my dad to see a car show there. I also went to see the circus under the big tent on the Pan-Pacific parking lot. I also went to Gilmore Field and saw the Angels play the Hollywood Stars before there was any professional baseball in Los Angeles.

[@thurayya8905]

Wow, that's a real Los Angeles upbringing! Great that you were able to enjoy it in such memorable ways.

[@jonw626]

I remember driving past it when it was burning to the ground. It was an end to an era.

[@junkboxxxxxx]

I went there when it was a roller skating disco in 1980

[@linamagdaleno9650]

Great video! Instantly recognizable to me just from the Xanadu movie!

[@jamesmcfarland7948]

Recall it well. Went there in the late 40s into the mid 50s as a small child and for a time lived about a mile from it. Attended the Ice Capade shows with my grandmother and much later went to a couple of the car shows there. The other part of the complex I recall from regular visits, but I don't think you mentioned, was the Pan Pacific Drive In Theater. That whole Fairfax and West Los Angeles area - then really a L.A. suburb had so many iconic places -- Farmer's Market (that actually was), Kiddie Land etc. Thanks for bringing it back.

[@bmepdoc9675]

Hi James. If I recall correctly the "Pan Pacific Drive In Theatre" was actually "The Gilmore Drive In" and not related.

[@daveweiss5647]

We need to bring back classic American architectural styles and this one would be an easy one to rebuild!

[@johnpotter8039]

I mentioned in my comments about Bullock's Pasadena that I grew up in Southern California in the 1950s. I went to the Pan Pacific a number of times. I went with my older Boy Scout brothers and their troop to see the Auto Show in 1956. I remember seeing the Continental Mark II on display. We also went to "The Metal Show", a trade show for the metals industries. A fellow at the pop rivet booth (a new item in 1957) asked my mother if she wanted to be "Rosie the Riveter" and let her operate the gun. Afterwards, we went to Canter's Delicatessen on North Fairfax for pastrami sandwiches (with coleslaw inside). I saw the building last in 1982, during a visit to the adjacent Farmer's Market. I look forward to seeing more of your videos and offering my own memories.

[@robert3302]

I bet it was insurance arson. Owners hate it when their buildings get landmark status, because it limits their options. Worse, they almost always get away with it.

[@FrankGrauStudio]

I was thinking the exact same thing. They couldn’t sell or demolish it, so the only way to circumvent the landmark status is to burn it down. So sad.

[@machupikachu1085]

@@FrankGrauStudio Agreed. The blimp hangar in Tustin received landmark status which REALLY upset the greedy land developers. What happened to it? Mysterious fire.

[@Ueyichkatl]

It’s clear you gave this video so much time and love to research every single detail about this landmark! I walk by the pan pacific park every day and wondered where exactly was the theater before it’s destruction. Thank you for another amazing video!

[@kelliball1207]

The Pan Pacific Park had to have been there before 2002 because I remember being a kid playing there with my Brothers and Sisters. I remember the structure vividly back in the 80's. There was a chain link fence blocking the structure from the park, but that didn't stop kids from getting to the other side to explore. I remember my Mom sternly warning us to not be "lookie-loos" and stay on the park side. We used to have picnics there too. That park was huge and so clean. Fun times. I remember my Mom and Dad being saddened by the fire. They spoke of going to events back in the 60's. Thanks for the trip down memory lane :)

[@wintersbattleofbands1144]

Um, it burned in 1989, genius. So yes, it was there before 2002.

[@pittsburge88]

@@wintersbattleofbands1144 Well Einstein, she's referring to the park not the Auditorium!

[@ianholmes2420]

Excellent video!!! I love all the history you conveyed in your documentary video. I’m a native son of Los Angeles and so I did get to go to the Pan Pacific Auditorium a few times as a kid. My favorite visit was to see the circus. I remember the day it burned down. It was on every newscast and there was a feeling of sadness for all of us that enjoyed that venue.

[@Davett53]

5/2024..........Thanks for making this video. I've been pulling images of the building off the Internet for 20 years of this amazing building. The tragedy of all abandoned buildings, is you gotta know some sleazy developers were behind its demise. I'm sure the news accounts said winos or homeless individuals were responsible for it burning down. The story will always be about winos who while trying to keep warm, in an abandoned building, built a small fire and it got out of control. NO, it is usually never that. It is usually the developers who hire criminal arsonists. I've seen it happen in my city hundreds of times. Even with local preservation groups keeping tabs and publicity, focused on wanting to save a city's most important architectural achievements, wealthy scum bags are lurking in the shadows to burn it all down. So thanks for all the great photos you have posted. Regards, from Columbus, Ohio.

[@machupikachu1085]

This. The blimp hangar in Tustin received landmark status which REALLY upset the greedy land developers. What happened to it? Mysterious fire.

[@Davett53]

@@machupikachu1085 I'd never heard of a town named Tustin. I am just learning about it, there is good photo of the blimp hanger. That building was something else, huge, monumental! How could a huge ,mostly empty hanger burn down, that doesn't make sense. Looking forward to learning more.

[@MrSunlander]

Never forget hearing Leonard Nimoy sing, "Bilbo Baggins" in there.

[@adriansdigitalbasement]

I was there for that fire. I never saw the theater when it was open, but even as a kid I was sad it was going to be lost. One small correction is the park that was also a flood control basin was always called the Pan Pacific Park, even before the theater burned down. The community center in the spot of the old theater was dedicated in 2002. I happened to see the theater burn because I was riding my bike around the park that day when the flames erupted. In the 70s and 80s LA wasn't much into preservation so many wonderful old buildings were lost to neglect.

[@gregsells8549]

While the opening of the L.A. Convention Center in 1970 may have taken away the expositions, arena-type events would have left earlier with the L.A. Memorial Sports Arena opening in 1959, the Forum in 1967, plus Pauley Pavilion, Long Beach Arena and the Anaheim Convention Center. The Pan-Pacific might have endured longer had it not been built of wood, but as we all know facilities can become obsolete fairly quickly (witness the Sports Arena).

[@blue.5058]

I lived up the street from the Pan Pacific when I was a kid. In fact, it burned down back when o was in High School. I remember taking my Go-Kart to the nearby Drive-In (closed down)when I was a kid- it was fun looking at the auditorium as I drove by it. But like everything else in Los Angeles, the city leaders allowed the whole facility to languish until it was destroyed by fire in the late-80s. From what I was told, the Grove shopping center was supposed to build on that lot, but was thwarted by the whole “historical monument” thing, which resulted in their using Farmer’s Market instead.

[@jeffsilverman6104]

I saw the Ice Capades there with my family around 1967-68. Also saw a lot of movies at the theater growing up.

[@JamesDavidWalley]

When I was a little kid, I went with my mom to a garden show there. It must have been around '62 or '63. When I returned to L.A. at the end of the '70s, the Auditorium was closed and fenced off, but the Theatre was still open as a second-run discount house. I saw _They All Laughed_ there, and possibly one other film.

[@angelc4494]

Wow wow wow. What an amazing structure. Excellent work Barkev!

[@postal_the_clown]

When I think of the L.A. I WANT to remember, the Pan-Pacific is a part of it. Even if a place wasn't specifically built in the Moderne style, embellishments or modifications adorned many higher-end buildings, and was a classic everyday view until the late 60s. I left So. Cal. in '84 so the fire was only an article later on. Still, I feel privileged to have known L.A. when the Red Cars still ran.

[@stephenmarsh8269]

We shot most of a movie called 'Runaway Train' in this building.

[@LaShelJensen]

A beautiful example of Streamline Art Deco! It was an architectural gem!

[@1Kent]

I hope no one called that fire accidental.🔥

[@Pixl8dwhmsy]

yup same as Notre Dame, California wildfires, Lahaina Hawaii

[@suzannelawson9215]

It is so bittersweet for me to watch this video. When I was a teenager in the late 1960's and early 1970's I lived just 3 blocks away on Gardner St. I went to schools in the area. My friend and I would often walk to the Pan Pacific Auditorium and it was a truly beautiful bldg. We were young giggly girls and got to know the door man that worked there. He would let us in for free sometimes. I don't remember his name and I'm sure he is no longer alive. I just remember he was such a nice man and very tall. We moved away from there to another state around 1973 and it is sad to know of this fire that brought the end to this historical site. It was a wonderful place.

[@dmr8914]

What an amazingly authentic Art Deco building. Imagine actually being there when it first opened and it was in its prime. Art Deco began in Paris but the USA took it to hear and created some of the greatest buildings. The Chrysler Building is still my fav.

[@RicMorton]

Thank you for this video l. I grew up attending events at this location. I witnessed Jet Pack. Man at the Air Show. So I am probably in that clip you featured. The Pan Pacific was an icon, and still is today in the memories of us who experienced it in person. Now, here is a suggestion for your next video, Pacific Ocean Park.

[@PhilMcEvers]

My friend and I rode our bikes there from Westchester because he really loved Xanadu so of course we had to go see it in person. Is a day I will never forget. We actually Climbed up to one of the upper levels and went in even though we weren’t supposed. I even have Polaroid pictures of the inside that I took that day. Yes I still have them. Thank you so much for sharing this video with us.

[@nicyoutuber]

Great production details! The low key voice over is relaxing and informative unlike much of the hysterical energy on this platform. Well done. I subscribed.

[@whitsundaydreaming]

I had just moved to LA in April of 1989 and never had a reason to go over to see the building before it was gone. It’s not hard to imagine a developer seeing to it a fire got started in it. That land is sacred.

[@thomascefalo938]

Me too! moved to LA Sept 1988 & it was demolished before I got to see it.

[@3810-dj4qz]

sacred?

[@cmorales932]

Los Angeles does not value its own history.

[@wintersbattleofbands1144]

I think the city was in possession of it at the time, hence there being a park there now.

[@dedeswife]

Omg you even included Fish Heads! What a beautiful and thorough job you have done with this video and your research.

[@jeannejett2299]

I was always fascinated with this amazing structure & went with my Dad to several events as a child. It's tragic that it burned down, what a huge loss. Thank you for the awesome video & all your research.

[@janetlewis7145]

In 1960, the Los Angeles Sports Arena near USC opened. The Lakers would play there. Pan Pacific Auditorium, as a result, played as lesser role for hosting athletic contests. Bill

[@Karime70]

Born & raised in L.A. never saw this building😢

[@julioyorkcity]

Amazing video! This historic place was on my list already to visit next time. Specially because we are really fans of Xanadu. And at least, there is a little recreation on that spot… Thank you very much for all this videos!

[@merchmotel]

Thank you! I definitely recommend visiting! It's walking distance to several other great places!

[@Pixl8dwhmsy]

I was waiting for the Disney reference. you really did your homework. I rewound so many times to enjoy the pictures. 💕 Subscribed.

[@christian-michaelhansen471]

Thank you for doing this video highlighting the Pan Pacific Auditorium! I fell in love with the Architecture as a kid watching Zanadu! I still keep a 4X6 black and white postcard of that iconic entrance on my bookshelf to this day. You get a like and subscribe from me for the sensitive way you handled yourself and the subject matter!

[@jppurves7837]

The facade of the the Pan Pacific was beautiful. Inside it was just a cavernous space. I worked for Barker Brothers Furniture in the early 1970's. We would hold warehouse sales there. The only memorable thing I remember about the inside was the snack bar had lovely blue mirrors behind it with ice skaters etched into the corners.

[@magicalmousers]

Some 90s design of Cinemark Tinseltown theaters have the iconic pan pacific to this day!!

[@merchmotel]

oh wow!

[@Sandi-ke9mi]

I was working at UCLA in 1989 and after work I went to the park to see what was left of the auditorium. It was so sad to see nothing left but smoldering rubble of a once iconic building.

[@ryanc4761]

Great video! Thank you for the wealth of information you shared.

[@daybird2]

Wonderful and informative video. Having never lived in that area, I'd never heard of it. Always nice to learn about these now gone places. You do a great job.

[@walterulasinksi7031]

This is what occurs when the public is fascinated with a new destination. If one looks at the demise of the Crystal Palace in Britain. At first it was the most dazzling place of the Victorian era. Then it was moved and remained in use but as that fell due to progress elsewhere , it became a firetrap, until it finally also burned down. Unless there us continuing public interest, even landmarks will die.

[@videodoe]

This is such a fantastic mini doc on such a gorgeous and historic building. Great job! So appreciated! I’m a huge fan of XANADU so I have been aware of it since I was 10. Sadly, I was never able to visit in person (and I live in San Diego so that could have been possible before its demise. 😢), but I love knowing how widely treasured it was and still continues to be so many years after it burned down.

[@TheRicsilver48]

Such an enjoyable post. Thank you!

[@johnjones3813]

Honestly, I think it's for the best that it burned down. It was in such disrepair, it was an insult to the building's history to see how bad shape it was in. It's usefulness had mong since gone by. Good that there's so many photos and films of its heyday.

[@dad_jokes_4ever226]

A beautiful Art Deco building , such a shame it's not around any more

[@just_passing_through]

It’s amazing how often buildings landmarked for preservation “accidentally” burn to the ground allowing property investors to redevelop the sites.

[@bbrown333]

Great video!

[@BobMaloneOfficial]

Loved this - thanks so much for making it! I moved to LA the year after it burned down and never got to see the place - only got to read about it and see the pictures.

[@lindavick2646]

My father took us to the boat shows!

[@alcozome]

Excellent video- Thank you!

[@becauseingridsaidso]

i’ve never heard of this building before. that makes me so sad because it was so significant to the city and people. my eyes watered when i saw that fire footage 😢

[@merchmotel]

💔

[@liquidninja6654]

Great video but one nitpick. The pic used for the opening of the convention center is for the opening of a 1993 expansion, not the 1971 building

[@mistervacation23]

Nothing on May's department store on Wilshire Boulevard?

[@JoMarieM]

Sad that such an amazing building met with such a tragic end, after years of decay and abandonment. I wouldn't be surprised if it was an act of arson. The owner probably wanted to get rid of the building, but they couldn't demolish it because it was declared a historic landmark, and they either didn't have the funds to restore it, or didn't want to bother with it, so maybe they figured that burning it down and making it look like an accident was the easiest way to get rid of the building! Whatever the case, it's sad that this building is no longer around today!

[@armandolopez8983]

Wonderful story. I met Engineer Bill (Bill Stella) there in about 1958. I was devastated watching it burn down.

[@steves7896]

The stills you brought together are incredibly fascinating, wish you didn't flip through them so fast. One has to stop (sometimes back up and pause) to drink in all the detail and appreciate all that's there. None the less, nice video, good research. 👍

[@thurayya8905]

Yes, I had barely focused and it was on to the next. Had to go back and stop to take a good look.

[@danwilson9530]

The only time I saw the Pan Pacific was after the fire in the early ’90s. They left just the damaged iconic front facade standing after the rest of the building was cleared away. I recall the facade was propped up from the rear and it was surrounded by chain link fence. I assumed they were trying to save that historic section perhaps for restoration, but clearly it’s no longer there.

[@ChannelWright]

A very nice piece on the Pan Pacific! I really appreciate your work on it!

[@Porsche996driver]

3:01 Quiznos later deployed this kind of toaster for their amazing sandwiches. Thanks for capturing this building as we’ve lost a lot of buildings from that period. The Long Beach earthquake of 1933 left many great buildings in ruins. Some buildings were just not designed to last 100 years. The cost to upgrade and retrofit must have been huge. The LA Convention Center must be at least 10x as big. I really love you pointing out how they had “Velcro Neon” that they could highlight the current show on the 2nd line - brilliant actually!

[@thickernell]

Xanadu was fantastic.

[@tombones99]

It wss also featured in the film 'Tuff Turf" starring James Spader

[@taalicitlaalic29]

Literally watching this while at Pan Pacific Park

[@epet513]

I worked at the Pan Pacific movie theater during the last two years of its existence 1982-84.

[@texaswunderkind]

Xanadu. There wasn't a better place to do roller disco to big band music with muses from another dimension.

[@greggartdept]

I moved to LA in ‘84. I loved the facade. Do you know how the fire started?

[@merchmotel]

It's believed to be caused by arsonists. It seems like it was pretty easy to get inside the building when abandoned.

[@jasminespencer3992]

Homeless

[@eko9554]

In Cerritos library, they recreated the pan pacific entrance inside in the library.

[@marsh443]

💐 Beautifully covered, thank u! What an absolute shame, allowing such an LA treasure to hit the skids so profoundly. Way before my time, yet viewing ur tribute placed me back in the PP' heyday! I don't have the heart to visit this marvel, it would hurt too much. However, i can revel in all it' former glory through ur eyes, thank you for that!💞👏👍

[@saltyroe3179]

Even when in use in the 1960s the Pan Pacific Auditorium was a dump. It was an unsafe structure . It looked cool.

[@smacdiesel]

My grandfathers Ford Model A was stolen at the Pan Pacific in 1952.

[@MarinCipollina]

Downtown Miami Beach FL has the biggest concentration of streamline moderne art deco architecture to be found anywhere in the US.

[@rosswaghorn2844]

Sadly with most young people, particularly today with social media etc… it is about “NOW”…. Not “THEN”…. Breaks my heart at young people’s indifference

[@Idelia412]

Thank you forthe wonderful video

[@empice2k]

Some scenes from the movie “Xanadu” were filmed there.

[@MrRolandMichel]

Yup, watch "Xanadu" to see this place at it's best!

[@ztrawhcsgsff]

Live on Genesse in the Fairfax. Watched the Pan Pacific burn.

[@jhash9554]

So awesome

[@Variety1985]

XANADU ... "your neon lights will shine"

[@ashleygordon3467]

Unfortunately, exhibition and hall type buildings are often built quite inexpensively in the first place and are generally regarded to have a life span of 40 years. By then the spaces no longer suit modern requirements or safety standards.

[@JasonMartinez-h4r]

my favorite park, I learned how to ride a bike there, first time smoking pot, getting to 3rd base with a girl, ditching Fairfax High, first library card, running laps with my dad. I have baby pictures on the wooden playground. soccer on the weekends.

[@JamesBrown-ij1px]

I remember seeing it when I lived in LA!

[@uncletrick1]

Homeless squatting in the building accidentally (or stupidly, depending on how you look at it) burned it down.

[@lawrencewiddis2447]

Tacy and Niki bought a long, long trailer at the Pan Pacific.

[@Scottyboy59]

Cool video! By the way, that is a rug, not a carpet.

[@xr6lad]

Is it me or does the entrance to the new building look like the entrance to a public restroom or detention facility.

[@MyParkGas]

Thought it was California Adventure 😅👌

[@jhonsiders6077]

Sad that we can’t have anything nice look at all the urban culture of the tagging of the walls .

[@captlarry-3525]

The narrator thinks a mix-master is a can opener, and a toaster is a stove !

[@alcozome]

👏👍Just subscribed

[@thomasblanchard6778]

The Pan Pacific fire was only 20 days after the First Interstate Tower fire downtown. At least the tower was saved in an historic, heroic wee hours defense by the LAFD.

[@claudiamiller7730]

Whenever I see an old, classic building go up in flames…I instantly think “insurance fraud”. Call me jaded, but….argh!!

[@pyootchnich]

2:31 totally going to have this photo enlarged and put in my man cave

[@germanirish2]

There in`66 for an art show....depressing...

[@iriegirl73]

Xanadu ❤

[@kennixox262]

Looks like the replacement building is a bit run down.