The West Hollywood Preservation Alliance sent the West Hollywood Historic Preservation Commission an open letter emphasising that Plummer Park’s Great Hall/Long Hall and Fiesta Hall merit historic designation:
Dear Historic Preservation Commissioners:
The West Hollywood Preservation Alliance (WHPA) supports the local cultural resource designations of Great Hall/Long Hall and Fiesta Hall in Plummer Park, and urges the Historic Preservation Commission to support the city staff’s recommended resolutions in Item 9.B. on the March 28 agenda
Built as the Community Clubhouse in Plummer Park by the Works Progress Administration in 1937, Great Hall/Long Hall has already earned well-deserved listings on the National Register of Historic Places and the California State Register. And it’s time to make that a trifecta with a local cultural resource listing for this distinctive Spanish Colonial Revival courtyard building.”
Across the way from Great Hall/Long Hall stands the younger Fiesta Hall, built in 1949 as an auditorium. The city’s 2016 survey found that Fiesta Hall is both an excellent example of the Spanish Colonial Revival style and is significant in the context of Postwar West Hollywood. It, too, merits local cultural resource designation.
Thank you for your consideration and support.
WHPA Board Members Judson Feder, Susana Miller, Roy Oldenkamp, Victor Omelczenko, and Jon Ponder
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The West Hollywood Historic Preservation Commission will be holding a special meeting to consider a cultural resource designation for Great Hall/Long Hall, located at 1200 N. Vista Street, and Fiesta Hall, located at 1150 Vista Street, in Plummer Park. A regular commission meeting originally scheduled for Monday was cancelled due to the Cesar Chavez Day. A special meeting is now scheduled for Tuesday, March 28, 2023, at 7:00pm in Rooms 5 & 6 of the Plummer Park Community Center at 7377 Santa Monica Blvd.
Fiesta Hall was constructed in 1949 by architect H.L. Gogerty for Los Angeles County and opened to the public in 1950. Its main purpose was to serve as an auditorium. The Spanish Colonial Revival building has been used as a venue for several city events. The 300 capacity auditorium is known for featuring performances in the arts, award ceremonies and the space was also used for 12-step recovery meetings on Sunday evenings.
Plummer Park and its Great Hall/Long Hall, completed in 1938, offer insights into West Hollywood’s growth and identity from its New Deal origins to its contributions to LGBTQ community organizing. Despite being built before West Hollywood’s incorporation as a city, the park and its Spanish Colonial Revival design were dedicated by the County of Los Angeles in partnership with the Works Progress Administration as part of a Depression-era initiative to expand park space.
The Great Hall/Long Hall, previously known as the Plummer Park Community Clubhouse, is the only West Hollywood structure constructed through New Deal programs. The facility features a U-shaped plan surrounding a central courtyard, a clay tile roof, and a stucco exterior, chosen to reflect the region’s Mexican-era ranchos. The Great Hall section includes an auditorium space, while the Long Hall section was originally used as a library and game room, both featuring original decorative elements like wood trusses, beams, and molding.
In the 1980s and 90s, during the HIV/AIDS epidemic, the facility hosted the local chapter of AIDS advocacy group ACT UP, which played a significant role in advocating for better treatment and research programs. The group’s meetings and campaigns took place against the backdrop of Plummer Park’s historic significance and provided an unprecedented platform for greater visibility of the LGBTQ community.
Today, Plummer Park remains a vital part of the community, hosting public events, theater productions, and community meetings. In the past, the Los Angeles Audubon Society and the community’s Russian Library occupied spaces within the Great Hall and Long Hall, respectively. The Great Hall/Long Hall’s history and architecture continue to showcase the unique character of West Hollywood.
