Pasadena’s Ambassador Auditorium is going on the market July 9 for the first time in 20 years, with an asking price of $45 million.
The 1,200-seat, 45,000-square-foot cultural landmark, often called “the Carnegie Hall of the West,” towers over a 500,000-gallon reflecting pool anchored by a 37-foot solid bronze sculpture of a trio of flying egrets by British sculptor David Wynne.
Potential buyers from as far away as Connecticut are already expressing interest in the auditorium, which Harvest Rock Church has owned and operated as both a house of worship and venue since 2004.
Harvest Rock’s pastor Ché Ahn said in a press release he hopes to pass “this cherished building to a new steward who will continue its legacy of service and community engagement,” and many potential buyers have expressed interest in doing just that.
“We haven’t started to market the property full-blast because it’s not on the market yet,” co-listing agent Isidora Fridman of Compass said. “But it may interest some international buyer. It’s great for anybody that knows what the Ambassador has to offer.”
“If the church didn’t hold its services there,” added co-listing agent Lauren Rauschenberg, also of Compass, “they could have it booked constantly; it’s a great source of income.”
The Ambassador, which turns 50 this year, was once part of the 34-acre Ambassador College campus established by radio evangelist Herbert W. Armstrong of the Worldwide Church of God in 1947. Los Angeles-based architectural firm Daniel, Mann, Johnson and Mendenhall built the granite and glass building in 1974, just 16 years before the campus closed.
From the start, it was open to cultural events. A 16-concert series featuring tenor Luciano Pavarotti, husband-and-wife dancers Valery and Galina Panov, mezzo-soprano Grace Bumbry, the Vienna Chamber Orchestra and others, launched it as a performing arts venue as early as 1975.
Today, the Ambassador still serves as a church and…
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