Ambassador College: One More
Sale May Complete Church’s Exodus; Ambassador Auditorium’s Future is
Assured
by Al Greenstein
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New life for Ambassador Auditorium |
The Worldwide Church of God may soon complete a triple play at
its Ambassador College site in west Pasadena.
Whether this is good or bad news for area residents remains to be
seen, but one thing is certain: the moves made to date assure that
the renowned Ambassador Auditorium will remain intact — and in use –
for the foreseeable future.
What a difference four months have made in a project once
envisioned as a 1,942-unit "residential urban village", a project
mired in controversy for years.
‘East Campus’ Sale
First came the surprise announcement in February that the church
had sold its "east campus" – all 13 acres – to an Irvine-based
development company, Sares-Regis. (The east campus is bounded by
Green St. and Del Mar Blvd. on the north and south, DeLacey
Ave. and Pasadena Ave. on the east and west.) "Right now we are
looking at the market demand for condominiums on a portion of the
property, and multi-family rents on the rest," a spokesman for the
developer told the Pasadena Star-News. The proposal also calls for
retail along Green St. and Pasadena Ave.
‘West Campus’ Sale
Hardly had the dust settled from the Sares-Regis purchase than
the church made its second blockbuster announcement, in May. It had
sold 13 "west campus" acres, including Ambassador Auditorium, to a
consortium of two religious institutions based in the San Gabriel
Valley – Harvest Rock Church and Maranatha High School, a
non-denominational Christian school. (The west campus is bounded by
Green St. and Del Mar Blvd. on the north and south, St. John Ave.
and Orange Grove Blvd. on the east and west. Most of the 13 acres
was bought by Maranatha. The auditorium went to Harvest Rock
Church.)
The 1,250-seat auditorium, which many feared would face the
wrecking ball under previous development proposals, will instead
become a religious sanctuary and be made available for public
performances "if they do not conflict with the [Harvest Rock]
church’s values" (according to a Star-News article). Also spared
from an uncertain fate were the former college’s administrative and
athletic facilities, including a sports field, six-lane swimming
pool and collegiate-size gymnasium.
Gardens, Historic Buildings
The final leg of the triple play will be disposition of the
remaining 18 acres still owned by Worldwide Church of God on the
west campus. These include all the major gardens and historic
buildings such as Merritt Hall, in effect, the historic and cultural
heart of what had been the college’s main campus fronting on Orange
Grove Blvd.
According to Bernard Schnippert, Worldwide Church of God’s
finance and planning director, interest in the remaining acreage is
high, with inquiries coming from property developers, religious and
secular schools, and senior groups, among others. Schnippert said
the church will take its time in weighing the various proposals. (In
the meantime, the church has completed the sale of five historic
buildings it owned on Orange Grove Blvd.)
Questions Remain
All this hectic activity raises a number of questions. Among
them:
- How will the east campus acreage be developed by Sares-Regis?
Will the same "density" issues that plagued previous development
proposals surface again? Neighbors remain watchful.
- What will happens to the remaining 18 acres and how will the
elaborate gardens, trees and historic buildings be integrated into
the new owners’ plans?
- What will it take to re-open the Ambassador Auditorium’s doors
to the public as a major performing arts venue?
More surprises may be in the offing.
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