Remembering When
by
Jerry Person
Huntington Beach City Historian
Dedicated to the people of Huntington Beach
Let's Remember Our Old Memorial Hall
If one were to somehow return to Huntington Beach to search for the location of the old Civic Center that was located at Fifth Street and Orange Avenue, they would be out of luck, for today that part of Fifth Street is no more and the property that the center rested on is now part of Town Square housing development that builder Frank Mola developed in the early 1980s.
But long before that, the old City Hall proudly stood, with the city jail in its basement and next to this building and fronting Sixth Street was the municipal auditorium, or as most older residents refer to it as Memorial Hall. So for this week lets turn back the clock and remember Memorial Hall's first days.
It all began in October of 1930 when plans were afoot to enlarge the old single story city auditorium and add a second story and an addition to the building. In this new second story, the American Legion would have its headquarters and hold their meetings and so with the legion's help, the project moved forward.
This new edifice would be known as Memorial Hall as a tribute to those who served in the big war of 1918 and the structure would embrace many of the architectural elements of the new Art Deco style.
The hall was officially dedicated on Saturday, July 18, 1931 amid the splendor and praise bestowed upon it by not only civic leaders but Huntington Beach residents alike. Over a thousand people witnessed the ceremony as City Attorney Lew Blogett escorted Huntington Beach Mayor Elson Conrad and many of the distinguished guests to the stage inside of the new hall.
Mayor Conrad presented to Judge Charles Patton and members of the American Legion a long-term lease of the second floor for its new headquarters on behalf of the people of Huntington Beach. Watching from the stage were Orange County Supervisor John Mitchell, Orange County Sheriff Logan Jackson, County Clerk Joe Backs, Huntington Beach Councilmen Bayard Butcher, Ed Huston, Ed Stevens and Chris King.
On hand to watch the ceremony were City Clerk Charles Furr, City Treasurer Harvey Young, Police Chief Stewart and Fire Chief Jack Sargent. Also during the ceremony, several members of the legion were present including several members from the women auxiliary.
Willis Osborn, president of the Huntington Beach Chamber of Commerce, praised the "exquisite nature of the new edifice" and as the ceremonies were coming to a close, Main Street businessman Jack Robertson commanded the firing squad to let go with a volley of salutes while standing at the building's entrance.
Legionnaires and guests were then shown some of Huntington Beach's points of interests of the building and afterward were dined at the Golden Bear cafe. That evening the legion held its first meeting in its new home with Legionnaire Beldon calling the meeting to order.
While the meeting upstairs was going on, the city held a grand ball in the large auditorium downstairs with dancing and partying until midnight.
Memorial Hall was demolished in the early 1980s along with the old Art Deco fire station on Main Street to make way for the Town Square housing project. But in it's glory days, the hall had witnessed many city celebrations, meetings, a second world war and other smaller wars and a president assassinated. On the outside of one of the walls a memorial was erected with the names of out residents that died in all those wars.