Owner Plans to Raze Ebell Club

Just a year after the Ebell Club shut its doors, the building’s new owner is one step closer to tearing it down.

The City Council recently approved Charles J. Pifer’s request for a zoning change on the property he bought late in 1995 from the city’s oldest women’s organization. The new status will allow Pifer to tear down the old clubhouse and build private residences on the property at 515 W. Balboa Blvd.

The Ebell Club, formed 86 years ago, was forced by dwindling membership to sell its Balboa Peninsula property. The club’s membership dropped to 35 in recent years as more women entered the work force and had less time for charity events.

As a result, membership dues also dwindled to the point the group could no longer operate the clubhouse.

--COMPILED BY BILL BILLITER AND HOPE HAMASHIGE