El Monte Union High School Auditorium El Monte Auditorium El Monte Gymnasium
Address
11151 Valley Boulevard El Monte, California United States
Owner
El Monte Union High School District (1927–1945) American Legion, Post 261 (1945–1973) United States Postal Service (1973–1974)
Capacity
3,500
Acreage
2.49 acres
Construction
Built
1927
Opened
1928
Renovated
1945
Closed
1973
Demolished
1974
Years active
1928–1973
Construction cost
$70,000 (c. $1,210,000 in 2023[1])
General contractor
Thurman & Thurman
The El Monte Legion Stadium—also known as Legion Stadium,[2]El Monte Union High School Auditorium,[3]El Monte Auditorium,[4]El Monte Gymnasium,[5]Old El Monte Gym,[6] and The Pink Elephant[7]—was a 3,500-seat multi-purpose indoor venue in El Monte, California.
It had originally been a combined auditorium and gymnasium located on the campus of El Monte Union High School. From the beginning, the venue served the school as well as the general public in El Monte. Concerns about its soundness after the 1933 Long Beach earthquake nearly resulted in its closure, but tests that determined the building was stronger than previously believed, as well as the prohibitive costs of erecting a new auditorium, led to its preservation. El Monte Union High School, however, moved to a new campus.
In 1945, the American Legion, Post 261 bought the venue, renaming it El Monte Legion Stadium. In addition to using it for their meetings, they also leased it out for sporting events and concerts. Between 1949 and 1962, Legion Stadium overlapped as the host venue for Cliffie Stone's Hometown Jamboree and Art Laboe's "Oldies, but Goodies" concerts, becoming an important part of the history of the country music and nascent rock and roll subcultures in the Greater Los Angeles area. The latter led to Frank Zappa and Ray Collins writing the song "Memories of El Monte".
Rising costs and changes in society led to Legion Stadium's decline. It was purchased by the USPS in 1973 and demolished in 1974.
^"CPI Inflation Calculator". United States Bureau of Labor Statistics. Archived from the original on April 5, 2023. Retrieved April 5, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
^Ellis, Gary (December 13, 1972). "Southland Sports Digest". Long Beach Independent. p. 39. Archived from the original on May 3, 2023. Retrieved April 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
^"Cage Dates Listed". Los Angeles Times. February 12, 1935. p. 32. Archived from the original on May 3, 2023. Retrieved April 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
^"Elks to Stage Benefit Revue". Monrovia News-Post. March 23, 1929. p. 1. Archived from the original on May 3, 2023. Retrieved April 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
^"Sports Carnival Staged Friday". Monrovia News-Post. April 1, 2023. p. 6. Archived from the original on May 3, 2023. Retrieved April 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
^"Legion to Sponsor Fight Stadium in Old El Monte Gym". Covina Argus-Citizen. February 22, 1946. p. 3. Archived from the original on May 3, 2023. Retrieved April 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
^Bortin, Harry (March 26, 1967). "Legion Stadium—Color it a 'Pink Elephant'". Pasadena Independent Star-News. p. 3. Archived from the original on May 3, 2023. Retrieved April 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. In El Monte some people refer to [Legion Stadium] half-affectionately as 'the pink elephant'...{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
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