From the life-and-death combat of boxing to the exaggerated theatricality of wrestling, the nightly fare at the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles was not unlike hundreds of other venues across America during the first half of the 20th Century. But its setting in the dream factory of Los Angeles magnified everything, from its size—at 10,000 seats, the Olympic was the largest arena in the western U.S—to its influence. Deeply connected to the entertainment industry, the venue drew a who’s who of stars, including Mae West, Anthony Peck, Frank Sinatra, and Jack Nicholson, and defined what a boxing arena was supposed to look like through its presence in prominent films, including ROCKY, RAGING BULL, and MILLION DOLLAR BABY. The venue permeated American culture through prominent artists (Jaime and Gilbert Hernandez, Raymond Pettibon) and writers (Charles Bukowski, James Ellroy), who soaked up the spectacle and reflected it in their work.

The Olympic held an intense and emotional connection with generations of fans across Southern California, who commuted from the sprawling suburbs of L.A. to the edge of downtown for reliably cathartic entertainment. While the Olympic attracted its share of boldface names, its most loyal fans were working class people, the majority Mexican-American. Many of the boxers, wrestlers and skaters were aspirational but relatable figures from the neighborhoods of L.A. or immigrants from Mexico and Latin America. At the Olympic, the fighters often took on larger cultural significance, particularly during the Zoot Suit Riots of the 1940s and the Chicano Movement of the ‘60s and ‘70s, when boxers, wrestlers and skaters stood for something more than sport.

18th & Grand: The Olympic Auditorium Story weaves together unique voices--fighters, skaters, musicians, historians and promoters--telling the story of a city through a palace of violence. The building is the central character, but the remarkable story of Aileen Eaton, the pioneering promoter who ran the Olympic for decades, drives the narrative. Taking over in the midst of World War II, Eaton became an unlikely impresario and power broker in the macho world of fight sports. She was a force, building a boxing and wrestling empire that ran from Central California to the Mexican border, building stars and shepherding the building through changing times and tastes. When ill health finally forced her to retire in 1980, the Olympic lost relevance and audiences dwindled. Hard core punk mega-shows put on by Gary Tovar's Goldenvoice Productions gave the Olympic a late jolt, but it sputtered to a close in 2005. The Olympic is now the sanctuary for the Glory Church of Jesus Christ, a Korean congregation.