Still Standing After All These Years

Part 19: The 'Keyhole,' The Civic and the WPA, 1936

By Katherine Peters Yamada, September, 2026
Photos from Glendale History Room unless otherwise noted

When the hot summer months arrived, early settlers made their way down to the Los Angeles River to cool off. At the time - before it became the flood control channel that it is today - the river was free flowing and seasonally accessible.

In the mid-1920s, with Glendale's population rapidly increasing, the city built its first public pool, giving locals an alternative place to swim. It was located in the new Patterson Park.

Some ten years after that, the Parks and Recreation Commission proposed a much larger pool for a much larger population. Their proposal? A municipal plunge and recreation facility on eleven acres on Verdugo Road, across the street from what was then the construction site of Glendale College. Like the college, the facility would be built with the help of federal funds, as part of President Roosevelt's New Deal. The photo shows the completed pool and bathhouse across the street from the college.

Local architect Hired to Design the Pool

Local architect George R. Postle was hired to design the pool. He was the son of David E. Postle, who had set up practice in Chicago around 1897. As part of Postle & Fisher, the elder Postle designed many significant residences and commercial buildings in the Chicago area, including factories for William Wrigley Jr., the Sefton Mfg. Co and Western Shade Cloth Co.

At some point, the Postles relocated to this area. Son George earned a certificate to practice architecture in California in 1921.  The next year, father and son established the Postle Company in Los Angeles. They specialized in structural and civil engineering as well as architecture. Around 1925 they changed their name to Postle & Postle. By 1936, Postle & Postle was located here in Glendale, at 501 W. Patterson Avenue. George and his wife Mildred first lived on Patterson; later they moved to Melwood Drive.

Postle was charged with designing a T-shaped pool large enough to accommodate racing and diving meets. Depths were to vary from 2 1/2 and 3 1/2 feet at the shallow end to ten feet at the deep end. The design included a bath house with a tile roof centered by a cupola. This photo of the bath house, taken while it was still under construction, also shows the first college buildings across the street.

Pool and Recreation Center to Be Built with WPA Funds.

The proposal also included a recreation center for dancing and public gatherings. J.A. Grundfor* was designated as architect of a Spanish-style building with a tile roof, in keeping with the architectural style of the bath house and the college buildings across the street. The estimated cost was between $35,000 and $60,000.

Both the recreation building and the pool were authorized as a WPA project. Construction began on February 21, 1936.

Delays

From the beginning, the recreation center was beset with trouble. Two years after the project began, in a January 13, 1938 editorial, 'On The Level,' Glendale News Press editor Carroll Parcher explained the cause of the delays. First, "the federal government altered the plans and raised the building higher off the ground than had been planned."

"Next, works progress changed the wages from a “Security” to a prevailing scale. This increased wages approximately one third. Because the works progress contribution to the project was mainly one of wages, this increased cost made necessary a supplemental application."

Parcher noted that the government had approved a request for additional funding on April 16, 1936. "This was not enough, however, and on July 9, 1936, another supplemental application was approved."

Public Demands for the Pool Grows

But Glendale's young people weren't focusing on the problems incurred with the recreation center. By now, the LA River was in the process of becoming a concrete-walled channel and was pretty much off limits. They just wanted some place to swim and were eager to see the pool finished.

As Parcher noted in his 1938 editorial, the public demanded completion of the swimming pool, so the city decided to spend a few thousand dollars from its treasury and complete the pool.

Officially known as the Verdugo Swim Stadium, the pool opened in June of 1937. A huge crowd showed up for the dedication ceremonies.

Southern California WPA official Col. E. H. Wilcox said at the time, "This is a worthy project of the joint efforts of Glendale city officials and the WPA. It is claimed that this is the finest municipal plunge in the U.S. It is my enthusiastic judgement that it is the best in the world."

Nearly 1300 youngsters signed up for “learn to swim” classes. City officials noted that the earnings from these classes more than repaid the outlay made to insure completion of the pool.

Back To Parcher's Editorial

Parcher's 1938 editorial mainly focused on the problems facing what was still being called the recreation center.

“Conceived several years ago by city officials as a place for community dances, the new Verdugo Recreation Center auditorium, on which more than $621,000 has already been spent, still is several months from completion." He noted that a new application had been prepared for filing with the WPA, seeking $73,804 to be used for grading and landscaping the grounds, construction of floors in the basement, retaining walls and sidewalks, bleachers for the swimming pool and a heating plant for the auditorium.

He added that if the WPA granted the application, it would take another six months of work before the project could be finished. Altho the auditorium itself was complete, there were no steps to the basement and no basement floor. Nor were there sidewalks or a heating system.

The Parks and Recreation Commission, which would administer the auditorium when completed, but had little part in its construction, was firm in their opinion that the auditorium should not open until it was entirely finished.

"In the meantime," Parcher concluded, "Glendale citizens who have looked forward eagerly for many months to the time when the big auditorium will be available for public use possess themselves in patience and hope the day is not far distant when the structure will be of community service instead of merely a project by the side of the road."

Two months later, the GNP announced that the WPA had issued a new $72,000 grant, in addition to an earlier grant under which the pool and building were constructed. The new grant would fund bleachers and restrooms at the plunge, plus heating, landscaping of grounds and completion of retaining walls. The city’s share of the new 1938 grant was estimated at $20,000.

Recreation Center Opened In 1938

The new recreation building, at 1401 North Verdugo Road, finally opened in 1938. The multi-purpose hall on the upper floor, which boasted a hardwood dance floor and a high beamed ceiling, served as a ballroom and as an auditorium.

Although the pool had been popular from the very beginning, the recreation building was not. Parcher dedicated another editorial to what he was calling a civic auditorium on March 11, 1939.

“Glendale finally is beginning to take advantage of its civic auditorium. The Loyalty Day program held in the auditorium this week, sponsored by local civic and fraternal organizations, was a fine indication of the splendid use to which this comparatively new community asset may be put."

He noted that many in the audience had never been inside the building before and added that many of the meetings that had been held there "lacked sufficient community wide appeal to attract capacity audiences."

But, there had been some successes. "The Friday night community dances have been packing in the jitterbugs and even the more sedate dances and the federal theatre production of the 'Mikado,' sponsored by the Glendale Elks, drew a good house."

Aside from these events, Parcher added, "there hadn’t been a great deal going on at the auditorium to bring it to the attention of the Glendale citizens who helped pay for it."

He reminded his readers that the reinforced concrete building was erected by WPA labor under a joint federal and city allocation and that it was valued at about $300,000, with a seating capacity of 2500, an exhibit space on the main floor and a basement hall with 25,000 square feet.

"In short, it is a civic asset of which the city should be proud and I maintain that it should be put to great use. The auditorium is administered by the Parks and Recreation Department which would be glad to have the building used more frequently. There is no charge for a program of a general civic nature such as the Loyalty Day demonstration, but there is of course a charge sufficient to cover maintenance costs for events at which admission is charged or which are of a private nature.

Memories of the Civic

The Ledger, a publication of the Historical Society of the Crescenta Valley, often includes memories from locals.

The April 2025 newsletter has an article which connects radio station KIEV, broadcast from the Glendale Hotel at Glendale and Broadway, with the Civic Auditorium.

According to the writer, Bob Crowe, one of the KIEV disc jockeys was Al Jarvis, who played popular music of the day.

Crowe wrote that, at some point, Jarvis began broadcasting from the Civic Auditorium. At the time, "it was a very nice dance auditorium. The name of his program was 'Make-Believe Ballroom' because no one was there during the day except him. After a while, he brought a young woman onto the program as a sidekick. Her name was Betty White. The program became more popular," he added.

No reports have surfaced online as to how long that radio show lasted at the Civic, but by 1949, Jarvis and White were hosting a new talk show on KLAC-TV in Los Angeles. The five-hour, six-days-a-week live television show ran from 1949 to 1953. According to Wikipedia, it was the first daytime program on KLAC-TV in Los Angeles. The adjacent photo, sent by CV historian Mike Lawler, was taken during that time.

1955 Proposal to Build New Civic; 1960s Renovation

City-sponsored dances, featuring big name bands, attracted large crowds for a number of years, but increasing problems with the building caused alarm.

In February 1955, the city council approved a tentative drawing for a totally new auditorium - at a different location - to be called the Glendale Memorial Center, as presented by architect Raymond Jones. Council member George R. Wickham made the motion, seconded by Zelma Bogue. But the proposal did not come to fruition. Meanwhile, the problems caused a shut down in late 1963.

The auditorium was remodeled and renovated the next year; the stage was extended and a new Terrace Room was included. The lower level was remodeled to provide a small auditorium, suitable for dinner dances and other gatherings and as a conference room.

The GNP reported that the former “big white elephant” reopened on Christmas Day 1964, with access from Verdugo Road and from Mountain Street. The lower floor, formerly a cramped space, now had a sunken floor in a brightly lit space for dancing. Plus, each floor had an auditorium and kitchen facilities. The upper floor held 1500 seated, with dining space for 1200.

The Parks Dept. planned to establish a tea dancing program in a junior night club setting, complete with tables and concession stands, according to the GNP.

The adjacent pictorial map and GNP photo (both undated) indicate that a shopping center, Rossmoyne Square, once filled the area between the auditorium and Mountain Street. A caption for the photo noted that the buildings would soon be dismantled - to be replaced by a parking lot. "The city paid more than $650,000 for the property which may eventually be needed for access to the North-South Glendale Freeway."

1980s, Tear Down or Renovate? Bremberg Saves the Civic

In the mid-80s, the city council once again debated the future of the Civic. There were many maintenance issues, and a request came in for a $1.2 million restoration project. Some city council members rebelled, proposing to tear down the old and build new.

Council Member Ginger Bremberg, who had been instrumental in creating the city's Historic Preservation Commission, opposed this, saying the current auditorium was affordable to school groups and nonprofits.

Fellow council member Carl Raggio aligned with Bremberg, while Larry Zarian and Jack Day argued for teardown. The fifth member, Jerry Milner was not present at that meeting.

An April 1986 article in the GNP noted that the auditorium was teetering on a fine line between dignified old age and becoming a civic eyesore. The writer predicted that the building would probably be renovated.

Members of the Royal Canyon Property Owners Association (who lived in the hills above the complex), called for a town meeting - - to be held at the Civic - - and invited eleven local homeowner groups to attend. They urged preservation, fearing that by tearing down such a signature building the city would lose its unique identity.

1200 residents signed a petition urging renovation to ‘protect part of Glendale’s past.'

It finally came to a council vote in early 1988. Bremberg, Raggio and Milner voted to retain and renovate; while Zarian favored a motion to demolish and build new. This time, member Jack Day was absent.

Mary Ann Prelock, Membership Chair of RCPOA, told the LA Times that she was pleased that council was responding to what the people wanted.

In 1989, Parcher, still writing his editorials, now called “In My Opinion,” again promoted the Civic. "The Civic is in almost constant use for everything from trade shows to dances.

More On Bremberg

Bremberg, who served on city council for 16 years, led Glendale through a significant period of growth, development and planning, according to a GNP article by Jason Wells, written after her death in 2007. "She cut the ribbon on the second phase of the Glendale Galleria, led the push for the Hillside Ordinance, helped place single-family homes under the purview of the Design Review boards and was instrumental in acquiring much of the city’s current open space — namely Deukmejian Park."

"She was driven to represent and recognize those who often get overlooked in the broad-brush style of governance," her son, Chuck Bremberg, said at the time. “She knew that without the small people, there are no big people. Her mainstay was literally going and talking to people.”

But, What About The Pool?

The Verdugo Swim Stadium had been a very popular venue from the very beginning. Strong attendance continued for nearly fifty years, bringing some 72,000 swimmers to the pool each year. But by 1985, attendance had dropped to about 17,000 swimmers per summer and the pool had fallen into disrepair.

The pool had never had a major overhaul and - - despite the decision to renovate the civic - - it was deemed too costly to fix the pool. In 1986, Henry Agonia, then Director of Parks and Recreation, said, "The stadium has experienced a “major decline in participation." He recommended that it be demolished.

The Verdugo Swim Stadium, "a landmark for 50 years," was reduced to rubble two years later, in April 1988. The site "will be landscaped with the possibility of building a public meeting facility or a parking structure," then Parks and Recreation Director Robert McFall told the Daily News.

Memories of the Pool

Despite the loss of what locals called the 'Keyhole', (or in some cases, the 'Pee Hole'), memories of the plunge linger on. A recent post on 'Vintage Glendale' on Facebook garnered memories of bus rides from city parks to the pool, bathing caps for females and walking thru a shallow pool filled with chlorinated water before entering the plunge; plus swim meets and polo matches, learning to dive from the highest of the three diving boards, and synchronized swimming classes. There were also memories of meeting friends there and of celebrating graduations with a swim at the pool.

Joanna Linkchorst recalled that the Valley View Class of '78 celebrated their 6th grade graduation with a picnic and games at Verdugo Park before heading off to swim. "I remember wearing oversized shirts we could have our classmates sign. You could decorate the back however you liked (my Dad did the comic strip character Ziggy for me)."

After the games, the classmates went over to the Keyhole. "There is a photo of me and my best friend after I had just climbed out of the pool. I had a huge smile on my face because I had just completed a jump from the high dive."

1993, Yet Another Renovation for the Civic

Despite the work done in the '80s, deterioration again brought the Civic to council’s attention. The aging building needed seismic work, ADA compliance and much more. The council approved $6.2 million for the work.

But much of that plan was shelved due to budget cuts and instead work focused on structural and cosmetic improvements and compliance with disabled-access laws. In 1995, GNP writer Steve Ryfle described it as a "stripped-down rehabilitation" that would cost about $4 million.

Instead of the proposed 22,000-square-foot, two-story addition, "the work will focus on structural and cosmetic improvements and compliance with disabled-access laws. The renovation, which has been in the planning stage since 1989, was aimed at fixing the auditorium’s trouble spots and also at making it capable of hosting larger events to increase its revenues, officials noted."

Still Standing After All These Years

Patterson Park is now Fremont Park. The 1920s pool is a distant memory.

A multi-level parking structure now stands on the former site of the Keyhole.

In 2018, The Glendale Historical Society nominated the Civic Auditorium to the California Register of Historical Resources. The designation, approved by the State Historical Resources Commission, grants a number of protections and restrictions under the California Environmental Quality Act.

Then TGHS president Greg Grammer told the GNP in 2018, “We are thrilled that the Glendale Civic Auditorium has been officially recognized as a California landmark. The designation will help ensure that the building is preserved for future generations.”

According to Glendale City Manager Roubik Golanian, the Civic is not listed on the Glendale Register of Historic Resources. However, the city "has identified it as eligible for listing."

Resources

The Glendale History Room, on the second floor of the Central Library, has city directories dating back to 1906, photographs of early Glendale, and archival collections on the Glendale Unified School District, Forest Lawn, theaters of Glendale and other Glendale-related topics. Visits are by appointment only (please email glendalehistoryroom@glendaleca.gov.

Our local history was studied extensively by early historians, including John Calvin Sherer, who authored History of Glendale and Vicinity in 1922. Carroll W. Parcher incorporated much of that information in Glendale Community Book, published in 1957. A later version, Glendale Area History, was published in 1974 and expanded in 1981. Unless otherwise noted, much of what is included here is from these books and from Glendale, A Pictorial History.

*For more information about the Doctors House or to purchase the Labor of Love or Glendale, A Pictorial History, contact Glendale Historical at info@glendalehistorical.org (or phone 818-242-7447) with your request and a return email or telephone number.

Other Sources

City of Glendale Online Post:

The Glendale Civic Auditorium is a favorite venue in the Los Angeles area for meeting planners and entertainers of all types. This dynamic center features an unrivaled array of resources for trade show producers and small conventions. The Spanish Revival/Art Deco influenced classic exterior of the Civic Auditorium has always provided a stylish welcome to guests arriving for an event. Built in 1938, the Civic Auditorium stands as a lasting symbol of the quality and beauty of the old and the new.

glendaleca.gov/government/departments/community-services-parks/parks-facilities-historic-sites/glendale-civic-auditorium-

Socal Landmarks Online Post:

"The Glendale Civic Auditorium was part of the Verdugo Municipal Recreation Center built in Glendale as a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project in 1938. It was designed by local architect John A. Grundfor in a Spanish Colonial Revival style with Moorish or Art Deco influences, depending on whose reference you read. The two story complex houses an 11,000 sq. ft. auditorium on the ground level with a stage and flat hardwood floor and a lower 14,000 sq. ft. space with a dance floor and kitchen. The recreation center included a 50 meter swimming pool of the “modern cloverleaf design conforming to intercollegiate and international specifications,” a reinforced concrete grandstand and connecting bathhouse, all of which were demolished in 1987 and replaced by the current parking structure. The auditorium is listed on the California Register of Historical Resources."

socallandmarks.com/index.php/2023/03/28/glendale-civic-auditorium/-

'A New Deal' Online Post:

The Civic Auditorium in Glendale, CA, was constructed by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in 1938. Originally, it was called the Verdugo Municipal Recreation Center.

Sponsored by the City of Glendale and completed under WPA Projects 3635, 6994, 7706 and 9392, the 560,000 cubic foot auditorium featured “facilities for plays, concerts, conventions, dances and other public gatherings. A 50 meter swimming pool of the modern cloverleaf design, and conforming to intercollegiate and international specifications, was built together with a reinforced concrete grandstand. A connecting bathhouse containing 160,00 cubic feet was constructed and 7 acres of surrounding grounds were landscaped. The entire plant,” a 1939 WPA report noted, “is an example of excellent workmanship and beauty. The recreation Center provides entertainment facilities for citizens in this community who previously were forced to go elsewhere” (Connolly & Farman).

In 1987, the deteriorating pool was demolished. A parking garage was built on the site of the swimming pool and constructed to match the auditorium. The auditorium itself—designed in a combination of Spanish revival and Art Deco styles—survives and is in constant use by organizations and community groups.

https://livingnewdeal.org/sites/civic-auditorium-glendale-ca/

Postle & Postle Projects in Glendale Include:

  • Municipal Plunge, 1935

  • St. Marks Parish Hall, 1953

  • A 5-story addition to Glendale Memorial Hospital, 1955

  • Mark Keppel School cafeteria, 1960

  • Temple Sinai, 1962

  • Plus, several architecturally significant homes in Glendale

Other local works attributed to Postle & Postle include:

  • The Gunther residence on Mendocino Lane, Altadena (1922) now known as the Balian House 

  • The Packard auto showroom, 1021-1035 East Colorado, Pasadena (ca 1923)

  • A renovation of the south end of Hotel Green (“Castle Green”), 99 So. Raymond Ave.

  • David Postle died in 1939 in Pasadena and is buried in Forest Lawn.

  • Son George left Glendale in 1967 and moved to Orange County where he died at age 88.

Sources: 

*Note: No information regarding Civic Auditorium architect J.A. Grundfor was available at the time of this writing.