END OF THE YEAR GIVING CAMPAIGN TO BENEFIT PRS’S BUILDING FUND

Over the past year PRS has continued to expand its public arts and events programming to each an ever wider and more diverse audience in the surrounding neighborhoods – including our busiest-ever month this past October, with 50+ events in 31 days! We’ve continued to increase our staff and operating hours to better serve you, the public. This June we launched PRS’s first-ever Membership Program with special members-only events, receptions, merchandise and discounts. We’ve received much-appreciated grant support from the L.A. County Department of Arts & Culture, the Council District 4 Office, the Los Angeles Breakfast Club and other sources. We were also able to completely renovate the Auditorium bathrooms – the first major renovation since they were installed in 1959.

For our 2024 End of the Year Giving Campaign, we’re asking our friends and supporters to contribute to the PRS Building Fund, to continue much-needed repairs and upgrades to our historic facility. The buildings at PRS are marvels of Mayan Revival-style architecture, granted Historic Cultural Monument status in 1994 by the City of Los Angeles. They need our help!

This year PRS celebrated its 90th anniversary as part of the Los Feliz cultural landscape – many of the building materials here are original from the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. They’re beautiful, but they need TLC and financial support to continue operating and serving the people of L.A. for another 90 years!

In these challenging times, when censorship and suppression of voices outside the mainstream is on the rise, the value of cultural organizations and libraries, and what they bring to their communities, is more important than ever.

None of this would be possible without PRS’s historic facility and grounds, including the famed Library collection of 30,000 rare books, the Auditorium, Lecture Room, Art Gallery, Bookstore and Courtyard.

The Philosophical Research Society is a literal piece of Los Angeles history. Commissioned by PRS founder Manly P. Hall, ground was broken in October of 1934, bringing architect Robert Stacy-Judd’s stunning vision to life. A multi structure, Mayan revival campus, the design reflects the broad spiritual and intellectual history of Los Angeles, and the non-traditional, esoteric organizations “founded by iconoclastic, often charismatic individuals” in the city in the 1920s and 30s. Stacy-Judd had traveled to the Yucatan visiting remote Mayan ruins and was inspired by the aesthetic of the architecture he saw. He found a kindred spirit in PRS founder Manly P. Hall (their shared interest in the legend of Atlantis was a common bond for the two), and Hall hired him to create one of his most enduring masterpieces: the Philosophical Research Society’s buildings.

Reinforced by steel, the stucco and concrete facade is adorned with serpents and spheres, triple window openings, triangular shaped arch ways, and bits of mosaic. The library is of “particular cultural significance due to the unusual nature of the collection, and the rarity and value of the art and books it contains.” Even the wooden doors at the entrance are works of art and a piece of the city’s history. Fabricated by actor and sculptor Stuart Holmes, in relief on the wooden panels are carvings devoted to Confucian thought and Platonic symbology.

Between 1936 and 1959, a library, printing workshop, offices, auditorium, and bookstore had been completed. Today, that same library contains a priceless collection of over 30,000 books, ancient statues, and a collection of rare sculpture and art objects. Research space and archival material is provided for scholars, seekers and artists alike; the auditorium and lecture room both play host to countless lectures, screenings, concerts and workshops, while the bookstore provides another connection between the historical and the modern. Contemporary books, tarot and oracle decks, and talks with authors and artists on ancient wisdom and philosophy build a bridge to the community.

So, it’s old! And well-loved. As the Philosophical Research Society enters a new era, experiencing a revitalization as a community hub of arts, culture and education, it is important to preserve the integrity of the original structure — and keep a roof above our heads….literally!

For this year’s End of the Year Giving Campaign, we’ve set a Goal of $35,000 to Support PRS’s Building Fund to continue upgrades to its historic buildings and grounds, so we can bring you an ever-wider range of lectures, screenings, concerts, performance art and theatre events, gallery exhibits, Magic Lantern shows, tarot workshops, sound baths and much much more!

Visit prs.org/end-of-2024-fundraiser for more info on our fantastic campaign perks and to check out everything PRS has to offer! You can also donate any other amount you like, with or without perks!

END OF THE YEAR GIVING CAMPAIGN TO BENEFIT PRS’S BUILDING FUND

Support The Philosophical Research Society!