Finding aid for the National Housing Exposition scrapbook 7034
Sue Luftschein
USC Libraries Special Collections
2016 April
Doheny Memorial Library 206
3550 Trousdale Parkway
Los Angeles, California 90089-0189
specol@usc.edu
Language of Material:
English
Contributing Institution:
USC Libraries Special Collections
Title: National Housing Exposition scrapbook
Identifier/Call Number: 7034
Physical Description:
1.96 Linear Feet
2 boxes
Date (inclusive): 1935
Abstract: The Pan-Pacific Auditorium, originally located at 7600 West Beverly Boulevard in the Fairfax District of Los Angeles, was
designed by Plummer, Wurderman and Becket and financed by a commmittee led by Clifford W. Henderson and his brother Phillip.
The National Housing Exposition, the Pan-Pacific's inaugural event, was one of a number of similar expos held across the country
after the passage of the National Housing Act in 1934, which was designed to make home ownership affordable for all Americans.
The expo opened on May 18, 1935, and was the subject of a massive media campaign and billed as a "mini world's fair." The
show ran until mid-June, and was a huge success, credited with jumpstarting the construction business in Los Angeles, and
helping to ease the effects of the Great Depression for Angelenos. The scrapbook contains stationery, posters, invitations,
reports, and printed ephemera documenting the development of the exposition.
Biographical / Historical
The Pan-Pacific Auditorium, originally located at 7600 West Beverly Boulevard in the Fairfax District of Los Angeles, was
designed by Plummer, Wurderman and Becket and financed by a commmittee led by Clifford W. Henderson and his brother Phillip.
Built in just fifty-six days, it opened on May 18, 1935 to a fanfare of Boy Scout bugles as "the largest of its sort in the
West and one of the three largest in the nation." Famous for its streamlined moderne facade and its distinctive flagpole pylons
curved like the fin of a fish, the auditorium was essentially Los Angeles's first convention center. In the 1940s, the Pan-Pacific
became a permanent full-service auditorium. The concrete slab floor was claimed to be the world's largest indoor ice rink.
Along with the Grand Olympic and Shrine auditoriums, the Pan-Pacific became one of Southern California’s major indoor sports
facilities.
The National Housing Exposition, the Pan-Pacific's inaugural event, was one of a number of similar expos held across the country
after the passage of the National Housing Act in 1934, which was designed to make home ownership affordable for all Americans.
The Federal Housing Administration, which promoted these expos, encouraged the formation of a citizens committee in Los Angeles
in order to stage the most ambitious of these events. Clifford and Phillip Henderson took charge of the committee, secured
funding and a 12-1/2 acre parcel of land near the La Brea Tar Pits. The expo opened on May 18, 1935, and was the subject
of a massive media campaign and billed as a "mini world's fair." The show ran until mid-June, and was a huge success, credited
with jumpstarting the construction business in Los Angeles, and helping to ease the effects of the Great Depression for Angelenos.
Scope and Contents
1 scrapbook documenting the development and marketing of the 1935 National Housing Exposition at Pan Pacific Auditorium (organized
by Clifford Henderson, USC alumnus, and Phillip Henderson). Includes stationery, posters, invitations, reports, and printed
ephemera.
Conditions Governing Access
COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE. Advance notice required for access.
Conditions Governing Use
All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Manuscripts Librarian.
Permission for publication is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical items and is not intended
to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.
Preferred Citation
[Box/folder no. or item name], National Housing Exposition scrapbook, Collection no. 7034, Regional History Collection, Special
Collections, USC Libraries, University of Southern California
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated by Kim Housken/Palm Desert Historical Society, March 12, 2016.
Processing Information
The original scrapbook was highly acidic, so the contents were removed and foldered. The original order of the material in
the scrapbook has been retained.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Exhibitions -- California -- Los Angeles -- Archival resources
Los Angeles (Calif.) -- History -- Archival resources
Los Angeles (Calif.) -- Social conditions -- 20th century -- Archival resources
Printed ephemera
Reports
Scrapbooks
Henderson, Clifford W. -- Archives
Henderson, Phillip -- Archives
Pan-Pacific Auditorium (Los Angeles, Calif.) -- Archives
Box 1, Folder 1
[Subscription Agreement]
1935
Box 1, Folder 4
Exhibitor's Contract
1935-05-11-1935-05-26
Box 1, Folder 5
[Exhibitor's Requirements, Information Bulletin, Program of Special Events & Release Form]
1935
Box 1, Folder 6
[License and Selling Agreement]
1935
Box 1, Folder 7
[Budget Control & Concession Report]
1935
Box 1, Folder 9
[Invoice, Admission Tickets & Concession Report]
1935
Box 1, Folder 13
[Exhibitor's Preview]
1935
Box 1, Folder 17
[Direction Map, Opening Ceremony]
1935 May 15
Box 1, Folder 18
[Federal Housing Exposition]
1935 January 18
Box 1, Folder 19
[Business Reply Cards, Letters]
1935 April 20
Box 1, Folder 23
[Letters, Advertisement]
1935 May 17
Box 1, Folder 24
[Special Announcements for Exhibitors]
1935
Box 1, Folder 25
[News flash Bulletin]
1935 May
Box 1, Folder 28
[Letter, Radio Programs]
1935 May-June
Box 1, Folder 29
[Special Radio Announcements]
1935 June
Box 1, Folder 30
[Special Announcements]
1935 May
Box 1, Folder 31
[Letters, Village of Tomorrow ]
1935 April, May
Box 1, Folder 32
[Letters, Village of Tomorrow, Sign Boards]
1935 April
Box 1, Folder 37
[Treasure Hunt Poster]
1935 May 17-25
Box 1, Folder 38
[Treasure Hunt Contest Windows]
1935 May 17-25
Box 1, Folder 40
[News About Special Days]
1935 April 23
Box 1, Folder 42
[Admission Tickets, Season Passes]
1935
Box 1, Folder 43
[National Housing Pamphlet]
1935
Box 2, Folder 2
[Treasure Hunt Poster]
1935
Box 2, Folder 3
[Pan-Pacific Poster]
1935 May 18
Box 1, Folder 46
[Letters, Advertising Posters]
1935
