Vernon Arena

20th-century California boxing venue

Vernon Arena

"Doyle's Vernon Coliseum—Used Exclusively for Boxing" (Los Angeles Times, 1925)

General information
Address| S Santa Fe Ave & E 38th St
Town or city| Vernon, California
Coordinates| 34°00′29″N 118°13′49″W﻿ / ﻿34.0081°N 118.2302°W﻿ / 34.0081; -118.2302

The Vernon Arena and Vernon Coliseum, both located just south of downtown Los Angeles, California, were major early 20th-century west coast of the United States boxing venues.

## History[edit]

The original Vernon boxing "pavilion" was constructed by boxer Jim Jeffries and ubiquitous West Coast hotel-restaurant-club impresario Baron Long around 1908.[1][2][3] Vernon fights were not financially successful under Jefferies.[4] The Vernon Arena's later heyday (in the 1910s and 1920s) was the work of two fight promoters, first T. J. "Uncle Tom" McCarey, and then Jack Doyle.[5][6] The first Vernon boxing arena was being leased by McCarey from owner Jeffries when it caught fire and burned on September 16, 1911.[7] A newspaper profile of McCarey published 1913 reported that he had "controlled the boxing situation" in the city for a dozen years past.[8] According to a history of California boxing, "The Jeffries Club staged a number of notable fights but finally succumbed to the stiffer competition of McCarey's downtown club and went out of business, the plant being taken over by McCarey and operated rather spasmodically for championship bouts for a while until he gave up the Naud Junction location entirely and confined his efforts to putting on 15, 20, and 25 round contests in the Vernon arena."[9] McCarey departed Los Angeles for New Orleans in December 1914.[10] The Vernon arena built by Long and Jeffries burned in October 1915.[11]

In the late teens, Jack Doyle replaced McCarey as Vernon's boxing impresario.[12] Doyle had long run a famous bar in Vernon (the city was a wet enclave of dry Los Angeles), and he later set up a training camp next door.[13] According to Dewitt Van Court, "The camp was patronized by the finest boxers in the land and their popularity drew such huge crowds, particularly on Sundays, that Doyle had to erect a regular arena and surround it with stands which would accommodate several hundred people. To pay for the stands, Doyle charged a nominal admission, and the crowds grew so large that he finally enlarged it to seat several thousand and roofed it over."[13] Doyle's Vernon Arena then became the center of boxing in Los Angeles.[14] In 1921 fight tickets were $1 to $3, and there was a section of the arena reserved for ladies.[15] The last fight at the Doyle's Vernon Arena was August 21, 1923.[16]

Doyle's Vernon Coliseum indoor arena was opened August 28, 1923,[17] with capacity for 8,000 to 10,000 spectators.[18][19] Promoter Jack Doyle moved his operation to the Olympic Auditorium in autumn 1926.[17] The indoor arena was destroyed in a fire on July 23, 1927.[20] The fire started in a neighboring "sawdust and shavings" mill, and also destroyed the grandstand of the Maier Park stadium where the Vernon Tigers had once played baseball.[17]

Panoramic photo of Vernon Arena, Wolgast–Rivers boxing match, July 4, 1912: "There are thousands in Los Angeles who saw Ad Wolgast fight Joe Rivers in a never-to-be-forgotten battle at Vernon about nine years ago when both men were knocked out in the 13th round and Wolgast staggered to his feet first and was awarded the decision."[21]

## Additional images[edit]

* Packy McFarland versus Freddie Welsh, refereed by James J. Jeffries, at Jeffries' Vernon Arena, 1908

* Tom McCarey (San Francisco Bulletin, March 8, 1913)

* Prepping the Vernon arena for a "Japanese wrestling" exhibition—this arena burned down about a month later (Los Angeles Times, September 4, 1915)

* Bud Counihan comic (Los Angeles Times, August 3, 1921)

* California boxing promoter Jack Doyle (Los Angeles Times, August 31, 1926)

* Hayden Phytian defeats Earl Little at Vernon Arena, possibly April 22, 1925[22]

## See also[edit]

* Washington Park (Los Angeles)
* Harry Burns (filmmaker)
* Ship Cafe (Venice, California)

## References[edit]

1. ^ "Fight Pavilion Burned Down". Evening Vanguard. October 25, 1915. p. 7. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
2. ^ "Jeffries Accepts Stage Engagement in This City". The San Francisco Examiner. January 5, 1909. p. 10. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
3. ^ "Officers Are Chosen for Jeffries' Club". Oakland Enquirer. March 25, 1908. p. 5. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
4. ^ "Thomas J. McCarey". The Los Angeles Times. January 1, 1912. p. 92. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
5. ^ "Azevedo-Dundee, One Southern Card". Oakland Tribune. September 22, 1913. p. 11. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
6. ^ "Fans Have Opportunity to Aid in Securing Heavyweight Battle". Los Angeles Herald. October 27, 1909. p. 12. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
7. ^ "Fire Burns Big Arena". The San Diego Sun. September 16, 1911. p. 9. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
8. ^ "'Uncle Tom' M'Carey". The Los Angeles Times. January 1, 1913. p. 90. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
9. ^ Van Court & Dobbs (1926), p. 12.
10. ^ "Uncle Tom to Hold Fights in New Orleans". The Los Angeles Times. December 7, 1914. p. 17. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
11. ^ "Fire Destroys Old Vernon Arena". Oakland Tribune. October 24, 1915. p. 25. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
12. ^ "Boxers Stare at Arena Ruins". The Los Angeles Times. July 24, 1927. p. 23. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
13. ^ a b Van Court & Dobbs (1926), p. 14.
14. ^ "May Ruin Some Ears at Doyle's". The Los Angeles Times. December 26, 1916. p. 7. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
15. ^ "Vernon Athletic Club—Boxing Tonight". Los Angeles Evening Express. August 2, 1921. p. 28. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
16. ^ "Colima Defeats Rice in First - Last Show in Doyle's Arena at Vernon for Benefit of Newboys Club". Los Angeles Evening Citizen News. August 22, 1923. p. 5. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
17. ^ a b c "Fire Destroys Doyle's Arena". Los Angeles Evening Post-Record. July 23, 1927. p. 2. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
18. ^ "Rabbit Punches by Paul Lowry". The Los Angeles Times. July 26, 1927. p. 38. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
19. ^ "Jack Doyle to Open New Coliseum Tuesday". The Los Angeles Times. August 24, 1923. p. 37. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
20. ^ "Vernon Arena Destroyed by Fire Today". Los Angeles Evening Citizen News. July 23, 1927. p. 2. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
21. ^ "Benefit boxing show for Wolgast". Los Angeles Evening Express. April 5, 1922. p. 39.
22. ^ "Loses Fight to Herman". The Pomona Progress Bulletin. April 22, 1925. p. 8.

### Sources[edit]

* Van Court, Dewitt; Dobbs, Walter V. (1926). The making of champions in California. Los Angeles: Press of the Premier Printing Company.