CALIFORNIA HISTORICAL RESOURCES INVENTORY DATABASE
City of Pasadena
 
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Resource Summary
169 S St John Ave
Resource Summary
Address: 169 S St John Ave APN: 5713-014-026 [print]

This property has been determined eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places as an individual resource. *
 
RESOURCE OVERVIEW
Address: 169 S St John Ave
City: Pasadena State: CA
Zip Code: 91105 County: Los Angeles
County Code: 37
Historic Name: Ambassador Auditorium Common Name:
APN: 5713-014-026 Zoning: WGSP-1A
Building Sq. Ft: 0 Site Size (Acres): 2.890
Year Built: 1974 Documented District:
District: Property Status: Surveyed
Resource Description:
Built by the Worldwide Church of God as part of its Pasadena campus of Ambassador College, the Ambassador Auditorium was intended to be used as a facility for religious services and also as a concert hall for public performances celebrating the performing arts. The auditorium was designed by the firm of Daniel, Mann, Johnson, and Mendenhall (DMJM), which had created a campus master plan in 1963 (in collaboration with landscape architect Garrett Eckbo) that merged the properties and gardens of several grand homes and mansions on South Orange Grove Boulevard (known as “Millionaire’s Row”), that had been acquired by the college since its establishment in 1947. Ambassador Auditorium was conceived in relationship with the Late Modern honeycomb forms of the 1967 Fine Arts and Science Halls (also designed by DMJM, and demolished in 2013) which flanked a plaza in front of the historic Hulett C. Merritt mansion. In this vein, the 1974 Ambassador Auditorium was envisioned as a Modern interpretation of a Greek temple (its architectural design was said to be somewhat similar to that of the Temple of ancient Israel) fronted by a reflecting pool, fountain and egret sculpture by David Wynne (installe din 1967). Its superior acoustics and sense of intimacy between the audience and performers resulted in Ambassador Auditorium becoming known worldwide as the "Carnegie Hall of the West”, with an international reputation as one of the most beautiful and esteemed concert halls ever built, and a significant cultural resource for Pasadena. Due to Ambassador College leadership changes, the concert series in Ambassador Auditorium ended in 1995, and Ambassador College closed in 1997. The property was purchased by Harvest Rock Church and Maranatha High School in 2004, and reopened for the HRock Church's services and Maranatha's programs, conferences, special events and performances.
Legal Description:
RESOURCE DETAILS
Primary Architectural Style: New Formalism
Secondary Architectural Style:
Architect: DMJM
Builder:
Contractor:
Context: Recent Past 
Original Owner: Worldwide Church of God
Original Use: Auditorium
Original Location:
Demolished: no
Notes:
Moved: no
Date Moved: n/a
Designation Date: n/a

* This is a simplified statement of the property's status. Please review the NRHP Status Code field on the search screen for official, adopted status language.