Magic Castle Ps1
Zebedeo Konig
The Magic Castle is a clubhouse for the Academy of Magical Arts and for magicians and magic enthusiasts. The Academy was started in 1952 by William Larsen Sr., who founded Genii magazine in 1936. The Castle was opened on January 2, 1963 by brothers Bill and Milt Larsen, sons of William Sr and Bill's wife Irene Larsen.
It is in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California, and bills itself as "the most unusual private club in the world." Once a private residence, the Castle was declared a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1989.
The Castle was purchased in April 2022 by Randy Pitchford, a grandnephew of British magician Richard Valentine Pitchford. Erika Larsen, daughter of Bill Jr. runs the property with the academy as a tenant.
The Magic Castle is a chteauesque residence built in 1909 by real estate investor, lawyer, banker, newspaper editor, and philanthropist, Rollin B. Lane.[2] The house was designed by architects Lyman Farwell and Oliver Dennis[3] and constructed as a near mirror duplicate of the 1897 Kimberly Crest House and Gardens in Redlands, California, that the architects had designed over a decade earlier.[4] The Lanes called their home "Holly Chateau". Rollin's wife Katherine worked on various civic volunteer communities for the betterment of Hollywood. She was college educated and an author.[5] Originally the house included "seventeen rooms including a roof garden and sun parlor".[6]
In September 1961, the building was leased to Milt Larsen, Bill Larsen, and Irene Larsen, who began converting it to its present state. The Magic Castle opened for business on January 2, 1963.[7] Over the years, several additions have been made to the original structure, allowing for the inclusion of several theaters, bars, a library and other meeting spaces. In addition, "Street lamps along the driveway that once ran along Venice's Victoria Pier, cast iron frieze work from the Masonic temple on Wilshire, dining room paneling from Sunset's demolished Norma Talmadge Building, and chandeliers from the first Bullock's department store (in Downtown)"[6] have also been added. The Magic Castle was declared a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1989.[1]
In April 2022 the Castle was purchased by Randy Pitchford, the CEO of The Gearbox Entertainment Company from the Glover family.[13] Under his ownership, it will remain a magic performance venue and the Academy's clubhouse.[14] A lifelong magician and grandnephew of British magician Cardini, Pitchford credits his career in entertainment to the Magic Castle. Magicians Penn Jillette and David Copperfield supported the sale to Pitchford (who married his wife Kristy on stage at the Castle). According to Jillette, "'Randy is a very special person as far as the castle is concerned ... he has the means and attitude to preserve its legacy.'"[15]
The Magic Castle is a performance venue, restaurant, and private club. A typical evening features magic and a variety of performances as well as a full-service dining room and several bars in a country-club atmosphere. The lobby of the Castle has no visible doors to the interior, and visitors must say a secret phrase to a sculpture of an owl to gain access, exposing the entrance to the club. Five magic performances are showcased each night, spread across three theaters: the Close-up Gallery, the Parlour of Prestidigitation, and a large stage in the Palace of Mystery. On weekends additional performances are added in the Peller Theatre as well as Hat and Hare Pub and W.C. Fields Bar. Informal performance areas near the five bars give magician members the space for impromptu magic for guests and other patrons. In the music room, a piano is played by invisible "Irma", the Castle's "resident ghost," who takes musical requests.[16] In addition, there are regular Houdini sances at the castle in the Houdini Sance room.[17]
Those under 21 years of age are not permitted during evening performances. However, on Saturdays and Sundays, the Castle hosts an "all-ages" brunch and performances which are open to members and their guests, including those under the age of 21. During brunch, the Castle's "Junior Members" (ranging in age from 13 to 20 years old) perform in the Close-up Gallery.[16]
The Academy of Magical Arts was started in 1952 by William Larsen, Sr. as a loose association of magicians, although it was not officially incorporated and its organization formalized until 1962, when Larsen's sons, Bill Jr. and Milt Larsen, built the Academy into an international organization. The Magic Castle has served as the headquarters for the Academy since 1963.[18]
The Academy of Magical Arts was created by William Larsen Sr. and announced in the April 1952 issue of his independent magazine of magic, Genii; of which all the subscribers were automatically accorded membership.[19]
"Academy Awards" were presented by Larsen over the next several months for outstanding contributions in various areas of the magic arts. William Larsen, Sr. died at the age of 48 in July 1953. His wife Geraldine and his eldest son, Bill Jr. continued the publication of the magazine, but the "Academy" lacked any formal structure, and the organization became dormant. In 1962, William Larsen's younger son, Milt, undertook the job of leasing and restoring an ornately styled, 3-story 1909 house in Hollywood, California and turning it into a meeting place for magicians which he called the "Magic Castle". As part of their plan to revive the Academy and locate it in the "Magic Castle", Bill Jr. filed articles of incorporation and created a nonprofit corporation, in 1962. The Magic Castle opened its doors on January 2, 1963 as the home of the Academy of Magical Arts, Inc.[20][18]
From an initial membership of 50, the Academy grew to a membership of 5,000 in 2006.[18] In 2019-2021 COVID-19 closures forced economic emergencies on the Castle. The "'building purchase fund ultimately turned out to be the pandemic survival fund,'" according to President of the Academy, Chuck Martinez. Herv Lvy was hired as general manager and chief operation officer in 2021. In order to remain solvent, Lvy raised initiation fees and dues. By May 2022 Lvy reported there were about 4,000 magician members in the academy. According to the Los Angeles Times the April 2022 purchase of the Castle by businessman Randy Pitchford "is expected to alleviate financial pressure felt by the academy".[14]
To become a regular member, one must first be actively practicing or involved with magic as a career or hobby and audition before the academy's membership reviewing committee. Associate members are people who love magic and the academy. Associate member applications must be approved by the board of directors. Honorary and VIP memberships are presented by the board of directors to magicians, celebrities and individual members of the academy who have contributed to the advancement of the art of magic.[21]
A members-only library located in the lower part of the Castle, according to magician Paul Draper, "has first-edition books on magic in English dating back to 1584, (and) original magic effects used to design the apparitions in the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland".[25]
Member Chris Hannibal quoted in the Times investigation in 2020 stated that he has witnessed women being treated as "prey or props" and also commented on the interior architecture of the ground-floor bar that is "an open secret" that because of a steep angle women wearing dresses ascending the main staircase "'it is easy to fully see straight up a dress'".[27] Prior to the Castle re-opening post pandemic in 2021, changes were made to the railing which obscured the view from below.[14]
Magician Paul Draper told the Times that when he ran for the board he had "advocated for training on diversity and inclusion" and looks forward to the Magic Castle catching up to the rest of the magic world who are embracing change. The board of trustees added more depictions of female and Black magicians to the Castle decor, but controversy over artwork of magician William Ellsworth Robinson's use of yellowface and copying the act of Chinese magician Ching Ling Foo have left members divided over the correct action to take. A sign acknowledging the "ethical concerns" was added but members question the decision to continue to display any of Robinson's images.[14]
Performing awards are given in different categories at the annual "Academy of the Magical Arts Awards" event. Nominees for the performing awards are chosen from among that year's performers at The Magic Castle.
The Performing Fellowship is presented annually to a magician who has made an outstanding contribution, through performance and a lifetime of dedication, to the art of magic. I was genuinely surprised when the director of the Academy of Magical Arts contacted me with the news, especially when viewing the list of prior Performing Fellowship recipients: Cardini, Jimmy Grippo, Slydini, Channing Pollock, Richiardi, Ren Lavand, Juan Tamariz, Johnny Thompson, Eugene Burger, Harry Lorayne, Doug Henning, Blackstone Jr, and Penn & Teller. The list is basically all of my heroes in magic! (A complete list of recipients, dating back to 1968, is included below.)
My agenda has always been the opposite: Go smaller. Slow down. Attempt to impact people personally, one on one. To my mind, this smaller scale brings a directness and simplicity to both our relationships and our life experience.
The Showroom Awards are akin to the Oscars, Grammys, and Tonys. They are voted on by a large body of members. The Fellowships, on the other hand, are more like the Governors Awards given by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. For this reason, the Fellowships are considered by many the most credible awards in magic.
The Academy wishes to acknowledge the extraordinary artistic achievements of Steve Cohen, whose long-running theatrical program, Chamber Magic, represents the very best in intimate magical entertainment presented in an elegant, sophisticated style. Inspired by historical heroes in the craft of conjuring such as Johann Nepomuk Hofzinser and Max Malini, Mr. Cohen has drawn upon a rarefied tradition of exquisite jewel-box magic shows served up with grace and good humor. The Academy of Magical Arts hereby commends Chamber Magic for becoming a venerable institution on the New York theater scene and a world-class celebration of the art of enchantment.
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