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The historic Olympic Auditorium in L.A. was a cultural hub for decades. Now you can experience it

A woman looks up at art work
18th & Grand: The Olympic Auditorium” exhibit at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes in Los Angeles.
(Julie Leopo/De Los)
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For much of its existence, the building on the corner of 18th Street and Grand Avenue, found just south of the 10 Freeway, was a place for contained violence.

It’s where wrestlers like Roddy “Rowdy” Piper and the Guerrero family built their legends, and where boxers like Julio César Chávez became champions. It was the home of roller derby in Los Angeles.

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For decades, the Olympic Auditorium was a hub for sports and entertainment in Southern California — it eventually earned the nickname the “Madison Square Garden of the West.”

Though the building became a Korean American church in 2005, the history made inside is being preserved in a new exhibit at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes.

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Roller Derby memorabilia at the "18th & Grand: The Olympic Auditorium" exhibit at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes in Los Angeles
Roller Derby memorabilia at the “18th & Grand: The Olympic Auditorium” exhibit at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes in Los Angeles on Thursday, Aug. 31, 2023.
(Julie Leopo/De Los)

“18th & Grand: The Olympic Auditorium” brings memorabilia, photographs, illustrations and relics of a place that put L.A. on the country’s sports map.

The multimedia exhibition, inspired by the 2021 documentary film of the same name, can be seen for free at LA Plaza until May 2024.

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“It’s not just about the untold stories, but also about preserving it, because this information is not out there as much as it should be,” said Esperanza Sanchez, LA Plaza associate curator.

The auditorium opened in 1925 in preparation for the 1932 Summer Olympics in L.A. The venue became popular with the Mexican and Mexican American community of Los Angeles, who would fill the 10,000-seat venue to support boxers and wrestlers who shared their heritage.

People from African American, Japanese, Korean, Filipino, Jewish and European communities also frequented the Olympic Auditorium, which made it a true melting pot in the city of L.A.

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“My favorite thing about this space was that it was a maker and a creator of Black and brown heroes that didn’t otherwise exist,” said Karen Crews Hendon, senior curator at LA Plaza, adding that the Olympic Auditorium broke down stereotypes and uplifted and empowered communities of color.

Among the heroes forged at the auditorium was boxer Danny “Little Red” Lopez, who was of Native American, Mexican and Irish descent. Lopez was a world champion known for his punching power and the bright red headdress he wore before and after his fights.

“Diversity was the most powerful thing that drew everybody in,” Hendon said. “The fact that everybody could come together, regardless of the background, is what creates a synergy that lives on in everybody’s memories.”

No history of the Olympic Auditorium would be complete without giving the proper recognition to Aileen Eaton, a trailblazing boxing and wrestling promoter for 38 years who influenced icons like Muhammad Ali and Gorgeous George. The documentary and exhibit pay homage to a woman who paved her own path in a male-dominated world. Stephen DeBro, the film’s director, says many were shocked to see a woman work out of a place described as violent and rowdy.

A photograph and painting of Aileen Eaton, who was active with the Olympic Auditorium from 1942-1980 hangs in the exhibit
A photograph and painting of Aileen Eaton, who promoted boxing and wrestling matches at the Olympic Auditorium for nearly 40 years, hangs in the exhibit “18th & Grand: The Olympic Auditorium Story.” Eaton, who worked in a male-dominated space, was able to encourage the careers of many fighters.
(Julie Leopo/De Los)

A native Angeleno, DeBro recalls learning about the auditorium while watching TV as a kid. He said the film took years of community outreach to make, tracking down families to collect their stories.

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It also required a lot of digging. “We were combing through basements and moldy funky situations to get to things,” DeBro said.

Ruben Lucero, 73, takes a photo during the the "18th & Grand: The Olympic Auditorium" exhibit at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes
Ruben Lucero, 73, takes a photo during the the “18th & Grand: The Olympic Auditorium” exhibit at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes in Los Angeles on Thursday, Aug. 31, 2023. Lucero donated posters and boxing gloves to the exhibit.
(Julie Leopo/De Los)

Although many of the sporting icons are no longer alive, the filmmaker says their families remember what the space meant to them and their loved ones.

“There’s a lot of appreciation that these stories were being forgotten because they were,” he said.

“Very few people have focused on this because it was seen as disposable culture, and I think part of the reason it’s seen as disposable culture was that it was people of color who were the main heroes.”

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