Just as Ambassador Auditorium takes its place again as a leader in the world of fine entertainment, it faces a David-and-Goliath challenge in which the Pasadena City Council will determine who survives.

On February 26, the City Council will make its decision regarding a huge senior citizen assisted living development proposed for construction within steps of the Auditorium's gracious Egret Fountain. Sunrise Senior Living, Inc. seeks to build The Sterling, a 200-plus condominium and senior health care facility at the corner of St. John Avenue and Green Street in Pasadena. The public hearing will be held Monday, February 26, at 7:30 p.m. in the Multi-Purpose Room of the Pasadena Senior Center, 85 East Holly Street.

Sunrise would be a good neighbor, and it would be hard to find a more compatible user for the former Worldwide Church of God campus than Sunrise.

Yet, the Sunrise development is the Goliath of this scenario as its size clearly overwhelms Ambassador Auditorium in both its height and length; its “footprint” is three-and-a-half times the length of the present Administration Building it will replace. This promises to forever dwarf and overshadow the gracious architecture of Ambassador Auditorium and hobble patrons to this world-renowned hall. The Sunrise project will be larger than the Archstone Del Mar Station development a few blocks away at the corner of Del Mar Boulevard and Arroyo Parkway.

Sunrise's size and massing issues are of great concern to Harvest Rock Church, who reopened Ambassador Auditorium in 2004 as its worship home and to take its place again as the "Carnegie Hall of the West" in the world of fine performing arts.

• Several Pasadena City advisory commissions share Harvest Rock Church's concerns about the size of the Sunrise building: The size and mass of the Sunrise project dwarfs and overwhelms what will be its immediate neighbor - Ambassador Auditorium, known as "The Carnegie Hall of the West," and its beautiful plaza. The proposed design of the project, including its scale and mass, is just inappropriate for the location, and will have significant impact as stated in the project's Environmental Impact Report (EIR).

• Demolishing the Ambassador College Hall of Administration affects the historic design of the complex made up by Ambassador Auditorium, its reflecting pool, 30-foot-tall fountain, and Maranatha High School's Student Center. The Ambassador Auditorium and its grounds must be protected.

Construction of the Sunrise project alone will have a detrimental affect on Ambassador — construction sound vibrations will disrupt finely balanced acoustics inside the concert hall, dust and grime will damage its exterior and reflecting pools, and patron access to the Auditorium will be significantly compromised.

Not only will the Sunrise project dwarf and block the exquisite beauty of Ambassador Auditorium and its surroundings, but critical parking spaces needed by Ambassador patrons and performers will disappear.

 Imagine going to Ambassador Auditorium to enjoy world-class entertainment and searching in vain for nearby parking, or to be shuttle-bused in from a nearby parking lot. Many concertgoers might opt out on such a search.

Several leaders of performing arts organizations - including the California Philharmonic, Pasadena Symphony, Pasadena POPS, and others — have voiced serious concerns about the diminished concert-going experience if the Sunrise project succeeds.

"For Southern California concertgoers, the evening's total ambience is important: acoustics and beauty, as well as ease of parking and access all play important parts in the success of a venue," writes Victor Vener, Music Director of the California Philharmonic. "Anything less and they will take their patronage to venues that offer a complete visual and musical experience." His sentiments are shared by many leaders of performing arts groups, who have voiced their support of Ambassador Auditorium with heartfelt letters.

Several Pasadena city commissions have heard proposals made by Sunrise's developers — Dorn Platz, master developer for the Ambassador West development that is bordered by Orange Grove Avenue, Green Street, St. John Avenue and Del Mar Boulevard — and Sunrise Senior Living, Inc.

Ambassador Auditorium is a treasured gem in Pasadena's civic crown. The greatest performers of the world brought audiences to Ambassador Auditorium and to Pasadena during the two decades it was open. Now it's time for the City of Pasadena to do its part to preserve Ambassador Auditorium for the future.

It is time for the public to take a stand against this massive development that clearly does not fit the city's General Plan for development. Concerned citizens and cultural supporters of Ambassador Auditorium may voice their objections to the size and mass of the Sunrise project at the February 26 City Council meeting. For more information, call Ambassador Auditorium General Manager Doug Huse at (626) 720-8155.