Eugene W. Britt House
Encyclopedia
Eugene W. Britt House is a three-story, red-brick Georgian Revival style Colonial Revival
mansion built in 1910 in the West Adams
district of Los Angeles, California
. In 1984, it was converted into a sports museum housing the collection of the Helms Athletic Foundation
. Since 1986, it has been the headquarters of the LA84 Foundation
and the site of the LA84 Foundation
Sports Library—the world's premier sports library.
in May 1979. However, in September 1980, the owner of the house petitioned the Los Angeles City Council to remove its designation as a historic monument, arguing that a purchaser could not be found willing to buy subject to the historic restrictions. The City Council voted 12-1 to remove the historic monument designation.
, president of the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee, and his wife, Ginny Ueberroth. Fifty years earlier, Los Angeles businessman, Paul Helms, had begun building a large collection of rare sports memorabilia (part of the Helms Athletic Foundation
) that was displayed over the years at a downtown Los Angeles office building and later at the Helms Bakery
in Culver City
. In 1970, when Helms Bakery went out of business, United Savings & Loan took over sponsorship of the collection, but the bank's successor dropped its sponsorship in 1981. At that time, the collection was moved to a warehouse and plans were made to break up the collection. Peter and Ginny Ueberroth stepped in to keep the collection intact, funding the foundation out of their own pockets until First Interstate Bank agreed in 1982 to act as the sponsor.
Ueberroth and First Interstate acquired the Britt House as a home for the collection. The house had deteriorated and was renovated at a cost of $2 million. In 1984, the Britt House opened to the public as a sports museum in time for the 1984 Summer Olympic Games which opened at the nearby Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
. The collection displayed at the Britt House had 50,000 items, including a bat used by Ty Cobb
, boxing gloves used by Jack Dempsey
, baseball uniforms of Babe Ruth
and Lou Gehrig
, bronzed track shoes used by Jesse Owens
, size 24 shoes worn by boxer Primo Carnera
, and the World Trophy—a trophy granted to the world's most outstanding amateur athlete starting in 1896. Fitting with the city's hosting of the Olympic games, the collection also included gold, silver and bronze medals dating back to 1896, a collection of Olympic relay torches, and the wreath placed on the head of Ralph Craig
(gold medalist in the 100 and 200 metres) at the 1912 Summer Olympics
.
. First Interstate and Ueberroth donated the Helms collection and the Britt House and grounds to the LA84 Foundation in the summer of 1985. The LA84 Foundation is a private nonprofit institution endowed with surplus funds from the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games. Its mission is to serve youth through sport and to increase knowledge of sport and its impact on people’s lives.
The 10000 square feet (929 m²) Paul Ziffren Sports Resource Center was built on the Britt House grounds and dedicated in 1988. The Ziffren Center houses the LA84 Foundation
Sports Library—the largest sports research library in North America and considered "the premier sports library in the world." It is a state-of-the-art research facility dedicated to the advancement of sports knowledge and scholarship. It includes approximately 40,000 printed volumes, 6,000 microform volumes, 7,000 videos, 400 periodical titles, and 90,000 photo images. Highlights of the collection include the official report of every modern Olympic Games, dozens of Olympian oral histories, the Avery Brundage
Collection on microfilm, complete video sets of television coverage of the Olympic Games since 1988, minutes of early International Olympic Committee meetings, and bid documents of cities seeking to host the Olympic Games.
The Foundation also maintains a sizable collection of historic sport art and artifacts much of which was inherited from the former Helms Foundation. Among the items still on display at Britt House is the World Trophy.
Colonial Revival architecture
The Colonial Revival was a nationalistic architectural style, garden design, and interior design movement in the United States which sought to revive elements of Georgian architecture, part of a broader Colonial Revival Movement in the arts. In the early 1890s Americans began to value their own...
mansion built in 1910 in the West Adams
West Adams, Los Angeles, California
West Adams, also known as Historic West Adams, is a large district located in the center of Los Angeles, California, southwest of Downtown and west of USC...
district of Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. In 1984, it was converted into a sports museum housing the collection of the Helms Athletic Foundation
Helms Athletic Foundation
The Helms Athletic Foundation was an athletic foundation based in Los Angeles, founded in 1936 by Bill Schroeder and Paul Helms. It put together a panel of experts to select National Champion teams and make All-America team selections in a number of college sports including football and basketball...
. Since 1986, it has been the headquarters of the LA84 Foundation
LA84 Foundation
The LA84 Foundation is a private, nonprofit institution created by the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee to manage Southern California's endowment from the 1984 Olympic Games...
and the site of the LA84 Foundation
LA84 Foundation
The LA84 Foundation is a private, nonprofit institution created by the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee to manage Southern California's endowment from the 1984 Olympic Games...
Sports Library—the world's premier sports library.
Early years
The house was designed by architect Alfred Faist Rosenheim and built in 1910 for attorney Eugene W. Britt.Historic designations
In the late 1970s, the owner obtained a demolition permit for the house, but the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission stepped in, designating the house and gardens as a Historic-Cultural Monument (HCM #197) on August 23, 1978. The house was also listed on the National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in May 1979. However, in September 1980, the owner of the house petitioned the Los Angeles City Council to remove its designation as a historic monument, arguing that a purchaser could not be found willing to buy subject to the historic restrictions. The City Council voted 12-1 to remove the historic monument designation.
Sports museum
The house was saved in the early 1980s through the efforts of Peter UeberrothPeter Ueberroth
Peter Victor Ueberroth is an American executive. He served as the sixth Commissioner of Major League Baseball from 1984 to 1989. He was recently the chairman of the United States Olympic Committee; he was replaced by Larry Probst in October 2008....
, president of the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee, and his wife, Ginny Ueberroth. Fifty years earlier, Los Angeles businessman, Paul Helms, had begun building a large collection of rare sports memorabilia (part of the Helms Athletic Foundation
Helms Athletic Foundation
The Helms Athletic Foundation was an athletic foundation based in Los Angeles, founded in 1936 by Bill Schroeder and Paul Helms. It put together a panel of experts to select National Champion teams and make All-America team selections in a number of college sports including football and basketball...
) that was displayed over the years at a downtown Los Angeles office building and later at the Helms Bakery
Helms Bakery
The Helms Bakery in Culver City, California was a notable industrial bakery of Southern California that operated from 1931 to 1969.In 1926, Paul Helms of New York took an early retirement for health reasons and moved his family to Southern California and its mild climate...
in Culver City
Culver City, California
Culver City is a city in western Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 38,883, up from 38,816 at the 2000 census. It is mostly surrounded by the city of Los Angeles, but also shares a border with unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County. Culver...
. In 1970, when Helms Bakery went out of business, United Savings & Loan took over sponsorship of the collection, but the bank's successor dropped its sponsorship in 1981. At that time, the collection was moved to a warehouse and plans were made to break up the collection. Peter and Ginny Ueberroth stepped in to keep the collection intact, funding the foundation out of their own pockets until First Interstate Bank agreed in 1982 to act as the sponsor.
Ueberroth and First Interstate acquired the Britt House as a home for the collection. The house had deteriorated and was renovated at a cost of $2 million. In 1984, the Britt House opened to the public as a sports museum in time for the 1984 Summer Olympic Games which opened at the nearby Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is a large outdoor sports stadium in the University Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, at Exposition Park, that is home to the Pacific-12 Conference's University of Southern California Trojans football team...
. The collection displayed at the Britt House had 50,000 items, including a bat used by Ty Cobb
Ty Cobb
Tyrus Raymond "Ty" Cobb , nicknamed "The Georgia Peach," was an American Major League Baseball outfielder. He was born in Narrows, Georgia...
, boxing gloves used by Jack Dempsey
Jack Dempsey
William Harrison "Jack" Dempsey was an American boxer who held the world heavyweight title from 1919 to 1926. Dempsey's aggressive style and exceptional punching power made him one of the most popular boxers in history. Many of his fights set financial and attendance records, including the first...
, baseball uniforms of Babe Ruth
Babe Ruth
George Herman Ruth, Jr. , best known as "Babe" Ruth and nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", was an American Major League baseball player from 1914–1935...
and Lou Gehrig
Lou Gehrig
Henry Louis "Lou" Gehrig , nicknamed "The Iron Horse" for his durability, was an American Major League Baseball first baseman. He played his entire 17-year baseball career for the New York Yankees . Gehrig set several major league records. He holds the record for most career grand slams...
, bronzed track shoes used by Jesse Owens
Jesse Owens
James Cleveland "Jesse" Owens was an American track and field athlete who specialized in the sprints and the long jump. He participated in the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany, where he achieved international fame by winning four gold medals: one each in the 100 meters, the 200 meters, the...
, size 24 shoes worn by boxer Primo Carnera
Primo Carnera
Primo Carnera was an Italian boxer, nicknamed the Ambling Alp, who became the world heavyweight champion.-Biography:...
, and the World Trophy—a trophy granted to the world's most outstanding amateur athlete starting in 1896. Fitting with the city's hosting of the Olympic games, the collection also included gold, silver and bronze medals dating back to 1896, a collection of Olympic relay torches, and the wreath placed on the head of Ralph Craig
Ralph Craig
Ralph Cook Craig was an American athlete, winner of the sprint double at the 1912 Summer Olympics.Craig was born in Detroit, Michigan. Initially a hurdler, he developed into a sprinter at the University of Michigan...
(gold medalist in the 100 and 200 metres) at the 1912 Summer Olympics
1912 Summer Olympics
The 1912 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Stockholm, Sweden, between 5 May and 27 July 1912. Twenty-eight nations and 2,407 competitors, including 48 women, competed in 102 events in 14 sports...
.
LA84 Foundation
Britt House now serves as the headquarters of the LA84 FoundationLA84 Foundation
The LA84 Foundation is a private, nonprofit institution created by the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee to manage Southern California's endowment from the 1984 Olympic Games...
. First Interstate and Ueberroth donated the Helms collection and the Britt House and grounds to the LA84 Foundation in the summer of 1985. The LA84 Foundation is a private nonprofit institution endowed with surplus funds from the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games. Its mission is to serve youth through sport and to increase knowledge of sport and its impact on people’s lives.
The 10000 square feet (929 m²) Paul Ziffren Sports Resource Center was built on the Britt House grounds and dedicated in 1988. The Ziffren Center houses the LA84 Foundation
LA84 Foundation
The LA84 Foundation is a private, nonprofit institution created by the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee to manage Southern California's endowment from the 1984 Olympic Games...
Sports Library—the largest sports research library in North America and considered "the premier sports library in the world." It is a state-of-the-art research facility dedicated to the advancement of sports knowledge and scholarship. It includes approximately 40,000 printed volumes, 6,000 microform volumes, 7,000 videos, 400 periodical titles, and 90,000 photo images. Highlights of the collection include the official report of every modern Olympic Games, dozens of Olympian oral histories, the Avery Brundage
Avery Brundage
Avery Brundage was an American amateur athlete, sports official, art collector, and philanthropist. Brundage competed in the 1912 Olympics and was the US national all-around athlete in 1914, 1916 and 1918...
Collection on microfilm, complete video sets of television coverage of the Olympic Games since 1988, minutes of early International Olympic Committee meetings, and bid documents of cities seeking to host the Olympic Games.
The Foundation also maintains a sizable collection of historic sport art and artifacts much of which was inherited from the former Helms Foundation. Among the items still on display at Britt House is the World Trophy.
See also
- List of Registered Historic Places in Los Angeles
- List of Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments in South Los Angeles
- LA84 FoundationLA84 FoundationThe LA84 Foundation is a private, nonprofit institution created by the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee to manage Southern California's endowment from the 1984 Olympic Games...