Olympic Auditorium’s Storied History Venue On Display At New LA Plaza De Cultura Y Artes Exhibit

When it was built in 1925, the Grand Olympic Auditorium in Downtown Los Angeles was a cutting-edge sports venue and quickly became known as the Madison Square Garden of the West.

Now, a brand new exhibit at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes titled "18th and Grand: The Olympic Auditorium," recounts the 80-year history of the Grand Olympic Auditorium. The historic venue, once the epicenter of L.A. fight nights, was designed to attract and host some of the biggest matches in boxing, wresting, roller derby and music.

The boxing card for a match between World Welterweight Champion Carlos Palomino and challenger Mando Muniz at the Olympic Auditorium on Jan. 22, 1977.

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Courtesy of Gene Aguilera

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"The Olympic was like a rite of passage for a boxer," said Latino boxing historian Gene Aguilera, who co-curated the exhibit. Cigarette smoke, cigar smoke, gamblers, beer drinkers — Aguilera emphasizes just how memorable an event at the Olympic could be.

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Popcorn, cigar smoke, and a night out at The Olympic

At the center of the exhibit is the documentary 18th & Grand: The Olympic Auditorium Story from writer and director Steve DeBro, who co-curated the exhibit with Aguilera. DeBro, along with LA Plaza senior curator Karen Crews Hendon and Aguilera joined Larry Mantle on LAist's daily news program AirTalk to discuss the documentary, the new exhibit and the indelible impact of the Olympic.

Ruben Navarro (left) and Ray Adigun (right) trade punches during a boxing match at the Olympic Auditorium on July 25, 1968

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Courtesy of Theo Ehret Estate

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Allan Armstrong, Honey Sanchez and the T-Birds in a roller derby event at the Olympic in 1971.

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Courtesy Kevin Haupt

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Mil Máscaras and Ernie Ladd wrestle at the Olympic Auditorium in 1970.

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Courtesy Theo Ehret Estate

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Big Jay McNeely and his band perform on stage at the Olympic Auditorium in 1951.

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Courtesy of Bob Willoughby Estate

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Patrons gather outside the Olympic Auditorium in 1974.

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Courtesy Theo Ehret Estate

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"The Olympic was pretty unavoidable back in the day," DeBro says. With only a handful of TV channels to choose from, the nationally televised weekly match at the Olympic helped cement the venue as a cultural juggernaut. It was also a training ground and coming-out venue for many Mexican and Mexican American fighters to make their name and be featured in headline events. "Whether it was wrestling, roller derby or boxing, it was part of daily life in Southern California," DeBro said.

It wasn't all bright lights and sold out events for the venue. Within a year of opening, the venue had essentially gone bust, and aside from a stint in the spotlight as a venue in the 1932 Olympics, it had not lived up to its grandiose expectations. That changed in the early 1940s when the L.A. Athletic Club, which owned the Olympic, sent Aileen Eaton to find out why it was failing. Eaton not only turned the venue into one of the most iconic boxing venues in the country, but also made herself the most powerful boxing promoter in the country in the process.

The exhibit

Boxing robes on display at the “18th and Grand: The Olympic Auditorium,” exhibit installed on the first floor of LA Plaza in July 2023, including boxing shorts and a robe worn by Alberto Dávila.

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Courtesy LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes

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Hendon remembers the Olympic Auditorium story as one we all share. "It's our cultural history. We're telling cross border stories where people of color were made into local and cultural heroes in and out of the ring, which really created a legacy of hope, identity [and] representation that really has forever remained in our memories," she said.

Photography, hand-stitched robes, punk rock fliers, roller derby ephemera — Hendon describes the experience of the exhibit as being "thrown into the environment" that captivated so many hearts and minds. "It's a slow look of the fast visual details one can see in the documentary," she said.

Roller skates on display at the “18th and Grand: The Olympic Auditorium,” exhibition installed on the first floor of LA Plaza in July 2023.

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Courtesy LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes

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The exhibit is equipped with a boxing ring that is aimed at creating an immersive experience for patrons. A timeline of photos introduces you to local wrestlers and the famed luchadores of Mexico. For those who never made it to the Olympic for a live event, there is a living room set up with a TV to honor those who were captivated from home.

Photos and roller derby jerseys on display at the “18th and Grand: The Olympic Auditorium” exhibit installed on the first floor of LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes in July 2023.

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Courtesy LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes

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The exhibit will also open a recording studio where people can record Olympic members in a way that DeBro said "has never been done before."

The exhibit is open now at LA Plaza, and runs through May 2024.

Listen to the conversation