Lobero Theatre
34°25′18″N 119°42′00″W / 34.4216°N 119.6999°W / 34.4216; -119.6999
 Exterior of venue, from Canon Perdido St (c.2005) | |
| Address | 33 E Canon Perdido St Santa Barbara, CA 93101-2213 |
|---|---|
| Owner | Lobero Theatre Foundation |
| Capacity | 604 |
| Construction | |
| Opened | February 22, 1873 |
| Renovated |
|
| Architect | George Washington Smith, Lutah Maria Riggs |
| Website | |
| Venue Website | |
| Reference no. | 361 |
The Lobero Theatre is an historic building in Santa Barbara, California. The theater was originally built as an opera house, in a refurbished adobe school building, by Italian immigrant José Lobero in 1873.[1] Located downtown at the corner of Anacapa and Canon Perdido streets, the Lobero Theatre is registered as a California Historical Landmark.[2]
History
The Lobero was founded in 1873. By the early 1920s, the old opera house was becoming dilapidated and was rebuilt as a theater, to Spanish Colonial Revival style designs by architects George Washington Smith and Lutah Maria Riggs. The client was the Drama Branch of the Community Arts Association. The Lobero Theater opened in August 1924, during a period in which civic groups in Santa Barbara were beginning to unify the town's architectural look around a Spanish Colonial style.[3]
Present day
 |
The theatre continues to host arts and cultural events on 250 or more days per year. Because of its live acoustics and relatively small size it is particularly suited to chamber music. The Music Academy of the West holds many of its summer concerts in the Lobero.
See also
- History of Santa Barbara, California
- California Historical Landmarks in Santa Barbara County, California
References
- ^ Conard, Rebecca, Christopher H. Nelson, and Mary Louise Days. 1986. Santa Barbara: a guide to El Pueblo Viejo. Santa Barbara, Calif: Capra Press, p.122.
- ^ "Lobero Theatre". Office of Historic Preservation, California State Parks. Retrieved 2012-10-14.
- ^ Tompkins, Walker A. Santa Barbara, Past and Present. Tecolote Books, Santa Barbara, 1975. p. 94-5
External links
- Lobero Theater Records, at the University of California, Santa Barbara Library.