In the 1960s and 70s, the Shrine Auditorium was the ultimate venue for musicians to play. If you played the Shrine, you’d made it, baby. But the version that stands on Jefferson Blvd at Royal St, near the University of Southern California south of downtown Los Angeles is the second incarnation. This photo, taken 1920, is the original version, known as the Al Malaikah Temple. Al Malaikah is division of the Shriners, aka the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, which is a Masonic society that goes all the way back to 1870. It’s a good thing this photo was taken, because 1920 was also the year that a fire broke out and gutted the place in 30 minutes. The new incarnation opened in 1926 and has played host to many Grammy and Academy Awards ceremonies.
This photo captured the 1920 fire from the air:
This image is from 1962:
And this is how the Shrine Auditorium looks now. This image is from July 2021:
I Think they had a swimming pool where we used to go swimming.
That’s interesting, James. I never knew they had one. Or why the Shrine Auditorium would even have a swimming pool in the first place.