Visitors to the Ebell of Los Angeles at Wilshire and Lucerne boulevards may notice some significant changes to the iconic building once a renovation project is completed.

Ebell officials Patty Hill and Philip Miller are spearheading an effort to restore the Ebell to its original glory. (photo by Edwin Folven)

The Ebell, the oldest women’s club in Los Angeles, is planning to continue the renovation as funding allows, and members hope to ultimately restore the entire 1927 structure to its original glory. This is the first major upgrade to the building in nearly 90 years.

The first stage of project was completed in January and primarily involved refurbishing the building’s concrete façade. Portions of the concrete had cracked or broken free, leaving holes in many areas, particularly around the building’s roofline. The Ebell’s 1,270-seat theatre was also re-carpeted during the renovation, and many of the interior rooms were repainted. Ebell of Los Angeles CEO Philip Miller said the façade was the most pressing issue, because the cracks allowed rain to seep into the wall and rust supports, resulting in the falling concrete. Once the work began, crews also uncovered numerous areas where the roof needed repairs to prevent water from leaking into the building.

“It had been on the backburner list of something we needed to tackle. Over time, the situation became worse and worse,” Miller said. “I would be sitting in my office and I would hear a strange noise. It was the concrete falling and hitting the terracotta below.”

Ebell president Patty Hill said the women’s club had been raising money for the $350,000 renovation project for several months, and is planning a fundraiser in May to raise funding for the next phase of the work. She said the club paid for the recent renovations by renting the site for filming, private events and meetings, as well as through private donations.

“We take the revenue and put it straight back into the building,” Hill said. “We are also fortunate to have a few generous members.”

The theatre re-carpeting utilized patterns replicated from the original carpet. Many of the interior rooms were also repainted in the original pale green and soft gold colors. The last time any work had been done was in 1993, Hill said, and that only entailed a new coat of paint.

“It was an enormous project. We are very excited about the renovations and what they mean for the future of the Ebell,” she added. “The exterior was literally falling off. It was the right time to do this.”

The Ebell of Los Angeles has had a rich history since its founding by the Parsons sisters in 1894 as a club for women seeking an education. The club was named after Adrian John Ebell, a German educator of the period who was a staunch proponent of education for women. Originally, the meetings were held in a small space downtown, but the club quickly grew to approximately 2,500 members. In the early 1920s, the leadership began looking to the “Wilds of Wilshire” — which was the undeveloped area that is now Windsor Square and Hancock Park, according to Hill — and settled on a parcel at the corner of Wilshire and Lucerne boulevards. The club commissioned architect Sumner Hunt to design the new building, and it was built in the Italian Renaissance-style of architecture. The building’s central courtyard is surrounded by the theatre and meeting spaces that were designed specifically to accommodate the club’s large meetings and events.

Hill said the Ebell of Los Angeles became very prominent in the years that followed, and hosted many famous guests. Aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart, the first female pilot to fly solo over the Atlantic Ocean, spoke at the club in April 1947, two months before she went missing during a flight around the world. In 2010, the Ebell of Los Angeles hosted a visit by First Lady Michelle Obama and Sen. Barbara Boxer, who was campaigning for re-election at the time.

Hill said the 70,000-square-foot facility has remained largely unchanged throughout the years, with the exception of the third-floor terrace, which was enclosed during World War II when properties in Los Angeles needed to be blacked-out because of the threat of enemy attack. She said the next phase of renovations call for the terrace’s roof to be removed and for the area to be restored as an outdoor space.

The Ebell of Los Angeles now has approximately 470 members, and the focus is still on education for women, according to Hill. The club provides scholarships for women and funding for special programs, such as a trip for the families and children of incarcerated women on Mother’s Day to visit them in prison. The Ebell also has an extensive art and costume collection that is used for educational exhibits.

“There is a lot more work to be done,” Hill said. “The theatre restrooms also need freshening up, and we hope to complete the work on the terrace. Hopefully we will be able to raise the funds in May to restore the rest of the building, to open that patio and restore it to its original beauty.”