The film ’18th and Grand: The Olympic Auditorium’ inspires an exhibit in LA
By Orange County on September 6, 2023
The Grand Olympic Auditorium was once the epicenter of sports in Los Angeles and the West Coast. Built in 1924, the venue was home to boxing, wrestling, concerts, roller games, and the 1932 Olympic Games. At one time, it was the country’s largest indoor arena, and was known as the Madison Square Garden of the West.
Aileen Eaton, the first woman inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame, ran the joint when women were likelier to be at home with the kids. She worked with legends Gorgeous George, Muhammad Ali, Ray Robinson, Floyd Patterson, Danny Lopez, Carmen Basilio, and George Foreman. Tough as nails, she was the driving force behind the success of the auditorium and was also mother to Gene LeBell, a stuntman and martial artist once dubbed the toughest man alive.
The storied Olympic closed its doors in 2005 and became a church, ending an era of hosting some of Los Angeles’ most memorable events.
People look at exhibits during the “18th and Grand: The Olympic Auditorium” open house at the LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes in Los Angeles Thursday, Aug 31, 2023. The exhibit runs through May 12, 2024 and is an immersive multi-media exhibition featuring items from boxers, bands, roller games and others related to the iconic Los Angeles venue. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
People look at exhibits during the “18th and Grand: The Olympic Auditorium” open house at the LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes in Los Angeles Thursday, Aug 31, 2023. The exhibit runs through May 12, 2024 and is an immersive multi-media exhibition featuring items from boxers, bands, roller games and others related to the iconic Los Angeles venue. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
People look at exhibits during the “18th and Grand: The Olympic Auditorium” open house at the LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes in Los Angeles Thursday, Aug 31, 2023. The exhibit runs through May 12, 2024 and is an immersive multi-media exhibition featuring items from boxers, bands, roller games and others related to the iconic Los Angeles venue. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
People look at exhibits during the “18th and Grand: The Olympic Auditorium” open house at the LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes in Los Angeles Thursday, Aug 31, 2023. The exhibit runs through May 12, 2024 and is an immersive multi-media exhibition featuring items from boxers, bands, roller games and others related to the iconic Los Angeles venue. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
People look at exhibits during the “18th and Grand: The Olympic Auditorium” open house at the LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes in Los Angeles Thursday, Aug 31, 2023. The exhibit runs through May 12, 2024 and is an immersive multi-media exhibition featuring items from boxers, bands, roller games and others related to the iconic Los Angeles venue. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
People look at exhibits during the “18th and Grand: The Olympic Auditorium” open house at the LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes in Los Angeles Thursday, Aug 31, 2023. The exhibit runs through May 12, 2024 and is an immersive multi-media exhibition featuring items from boxers, bands, roller games and others related to the iconic Los Angeles venue. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
People look at exhibits during the “18th and Grand: The Olympic Auditorium” open house at the LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes in Los Angeles Thursday, Aug 31, 2023. The exhibit runs through May 12, 2024 and is an immersive multi-media exhibition featuring items from boxers, bands, roller games and others related to the iconic Los Angeles venue. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
People look at exhibits during the “18th and Grand: The Olympic Auditorium” open house at the LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes in Los Angeles Thursday, Aug 31, 2023. The exhibit runs through May 12, 2024 and is an immersive multi-media exhibition featuring items from boxers, bands, roller games and others related to the iconic Los Angeles venue. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
People look at exhibits during the “18th and Grand: The Olympic Auditorium” open house at the LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes in Los Angeles Thursday, Aug 31, 2023. The exhibit runs through May 12, 2024 and is an immersive multi-media exhibition featuring items from boxers, bands, roller games and others related to the iconic Los Angeles venue. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
People look at exhibits during the “18th and Grand: The Olympic Auditorium” open house at the LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes in Los Angeles Thursday, Aug 31, 2023. The exhibit runs through May 12, 2024 and is an immersive multi-media exhibition featuring items from boxers, bands, roller games and others related to the iconic Los Angeles venue. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
People look at exhibits during the “18th and Grand: The Olympic Auditorium” open house at the LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes in Los Angeles Thursday, Aug 31, 2023. The exhibit runs through May 12, 2024 and is an immersive multi-media exhibition featuring items from boxers, bands, roller games and others related to the iconic Los Angeles venue. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
People look at exhibits during the “18th and Grand: The Olympic Auditorium” open house at the LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes in Los Angeles Thursday, Aug 31, 2023. The exhibit runs through May 12, 2024 and is an immersive multi-media exhibition featuring items from boxers, bands, roller games and others related to the iconic Los Angeles venue. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
People look at exhibits during the “18th and Grand: The Olympic Auditorium” open house at the LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes in Los Angeles Thursday, Aug 31, 2023. The exhibit runs through May 12, 2024 and is an immersive multi-media exhibition featuring items from boxers, bands, roller games and others related to the iconic Los Angeles venue. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
People look at exhibits during the “18th and Grand: The Olympic Auditorium” open house at the LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes in Los Angeles Thursday, Aug 31, 2023. The exhibit runs through May 12, 2024 and is an immersive multi-media exhibition featuring items from boxers, bands, roller games and others related to the iconic Los Angeles venue. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
People look at exhibits during the “18th and Grand: The Olympic Auditorium” open house at the LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes in Los Angeles Thursday, Aug 31, 2023. The exhibit runs through May 12, 2024 and is an immersive multi-media exhibition featuring items from boxers, bands, roller games and others related to the iconic Los Angeles venue. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
People look at exhibits during the “18th and Grand: The Olympic Auditorium” open house at the LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes in Los Angeles Thursday, Aug 31, 2023. The exhibit runs through May 12, 2024 and is an immersive multi-media exhibition featuring items from boxers, bands, roller games and others related to the iconic Los Angeles venue. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
People look at exhibits during the “18th and Grand: The Olympic Auditorium” open house at the LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes in Los Angeles Thursday, Aug 31, 2023. The exhibit runs through May 12, 2024 and is an immersive multi-media exhibition featuring items from boxers, bands, roller games and others related to the iconic Los Angeles venue. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Filmmaker Stephen DeBro became interested in the Grand Olympic after seeing photos by house photographer Theo Ehret of events held there. DeBro grew up in Los Angeles and knew of the Olympic, but he became obsessed once he started digging.
“It was the place, it was always on TV — boxing, wrestling, roller derby. It was sort of lodged in my memory banks, and then I saw the photography of Theo Ehret, and that really sent me back, and the more I started digging I became obsessed with the story,” said DeBro.
He went to work, and the documentary “18th & Grand: The Olympic Auditorium Story” was born.
The film has inspired an exhibit of all things Olympic Auditorium at the LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes in Los Angeles. The exhibit runs through May 12, 2024, an immersive multi-media exhibition featuring items from boxers, bands, roller games, and others related to the iconic Los Angeles venue.
The LA Plaza is next to Olvera Street at El Pueblo de Los Angeles, with a campus including a museum, a 30,000-square-foot outdoor space with a performance stage and an edible garden.
Former IBF super featherweight champion Carlos Famoso Hernandez next to one of his ring robes at the “18th and Grand: The Olympic Auditorium” open house at the LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes in Los Angeles Thursday, Aug 31, 2023. The exhibit runs through May 12, 2024 is a immersive multi-media exhibition featuring items from boxers, bands, roller games and others related to the iconic Los Angeles venue. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
The Grand Olympic meant a lot to people living in Los Angeles. It was a place that locals could afford to go to and enjoy a boxing match or a concert.
For former IBF super featherweight champion Carlos “Famoso” Hernandez, who grew up near the auditorium, it was a dream come true to fight there. He battled for a world title against Genaro “Chicanito” Hernandez at the Olympic Auditorium in 1997.
“Growing up here in the L.A. area, especially around the corner from the Olympic Auditorium, and then finding myself there, was unbelievable,” he says. “I couldn’t believe that now it’s my turn to fight here and showcase my skills in front of everybody — and not get beer bottles thrown at me but getting dollar bills thrown at me.” Rowdy fans were known to throw bottles during matches if they were unhappy with the fight or the results.
For many, the Grand Olympic Auditorium is a cultural icon. Abelardo de la Peña Jr., director of marketing and communications for the LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes, says, “It really unified communities. It unified the region’s Latinos, in particular, Mexican American fighters from the Harbor Area that were, you know, champions in the ring that would show off their skills and bring the community together. And then when somebody from out of town — either from Mexico or from the East Coast — would come, then all the Mexican community would come together to cheer on their hometown. “
It was a place where the community felt a sense of belonging.
Curated by filmmaker Stephen DeBro and Latino boxing historian and author Gene Aguilera, with LA Plaza curators Karen Crews Hendon, and Esperanza Sanchez, the exhibition is open to the public, admission-free, Wednesdays through Sundays, noon to 5 p.m.
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