Ebell Club of Long Beach

On a tree-lined street in a residential neighborhood, a Long Beach landmark has been reborn. One of three Southern California women’s clubs built by the philanthropic Ebell sisters in 1924, the Long Beach building has been privately purchased and renovated into a splendid special event facility. With its decades-long legacy as home of the local Women’s Club and the community’s cultural center, the Ebell has recently been nominated for official historic designation. The Ebell also has distinctive architectural value as a prime example of the Spanish-Revival design so favored during the 1920s. It features the characteristic red-tile roof, and its soaring, intricately sculpted portico makes a dramatic statement. Reminiscent of European churches and government buildings of the 17th and 18th century, the Ebell embodies the Churrigueresque style—a Spanish Colonial adaptation of Italy’s and France’s exuberant rococo ornamentalism. In other words, the entryway is beautiful and impressive—and so is the interior.

While the original structure has been carefully restored, the Ebell’s 25,858 square feet of event space have been refreshed by the experts responsible for remodeling the Hotel Bel Air. Up a flight of stairs, a handcrafted iron gate slides open to the foyer, revealing heavy wooden doors topped with a stained-glass transom. When you cross the threshold, you find yourself in a double-story indoor courtyard, illuminated by skylights. The lovely space is flanked on two sides by arched colonnades, with decorative cornices and moldings. Opposite the entrance water trickles down a tiled Spanish fountain beneath an archway. At one corner of the courtyard is a stairway trimmed with the original tile, leading to an upper-level mezzanine that overlooks two sides of the courtyard. A bride with a sense of the theatrical first walks out onto the mezzanine, gliding above her guests like a heavenly vision in white; next she makes her way down the stairway, and passes through the admiring crowd before reaching her groom, who takes her hand in front of the fountain.

Guests are welcomed with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres in the elegant Parlor, adjacent to the courtyard. Lofty multipaned windows let in natural light. Tapestries and a magnificent hearth at the room’s center contribute to a cozy ambiance. During the social hour, leave the room’s French doors wide open to reveal the sparkling fountain in the background.

When the dinner bell rings, everyone flows into the Grand Hall, located on the other side of the Courtyard. Guests dine beneath crystal chandeliers suspended from the high ceiling, while wrought-iron wall sconces and gleaming hardwood floors contribute to the air of refinement. Meanwhile, the staff is transforming the Courtyard for the evening’s festivities: cocktails, the first dance, and the cake-cutting.

Event cuisine is elegantly presented by Jay’s Catering, an award-winning culinary team with over 30 years of experience. Voted "Best Orange County Caterer" two years in a row, Jay’s continues to please with their custom and themed menus, including ethnic specialties.

Reserving the Ebell Club comes with lots of handholding by the service-oriented staff. They also offer value-priced in-house extras, such as "day of" coordination, specialty lighting, linens and decorative enhancements. Dedicated to providing a glorious setting for events, the proprietors of the Ebell live by their philosophy: "It may be grand or simple, but each celebration should, in its own way, be imaginative and unique."