Constructed in 1927 by the Lompoc Knights of Pythias, the Lompoc Theater is located on North H Street. The Lompoc Theater opened on May 27, 1927 with premier showings of George Sydney in "Lost at the Front" and Andy Grump's "Circus Dazs". It hosted traveling vaudeville, local dramatic productions and movies. Dressing room area was located under the stage with access via door into orchestra pit and via stairs to backstage area.
Theater was closed for fourteen days in December 1954 for a remodeling, reopening with Elizabeth Taylor in "The Last Time I Saw Paris". It had a new marquee, new seating and expanded lobby. New bathroom configuration eliminated stairs to the "crying room" and projection booth. Access to upstairs is now via stairway from exterior, which also accesses second floor office space. Crying room is no longer a feature. Previously, the lobby did not include a snack bar and ticket booth was in the center of outside foyer. The remodel project placed the ticket booth to the side, accessible into a newly expanded lobby, including snack bar. A CinemaScope screen was also added in the remodel.
When constructed in 1927, the theater was considered the most technologically advanced facilities on the West Coast. The projection room includes a 1950's tube powered sound amp system, a very old Simplex projector and relatively new platter system.
Closed since the 1980's, in March 2008, plans were confirmed to restore the building into a performing arts center, to be named the Calvert Performing Arts Center. Work was planned to begin in three months, with a fall or winter 2009 opening for the project, which is costing just under $9m.
Contributed by Dennis Headrick
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http://www.lompocrecord.com/articles/2006/03/27/news/news01.txt
Big plans in store for Lompoc Theatre to include restoration and expansion
By Mark Abramson/Staff Writer
Now that the funding is in place to purchase the Lompoc Theatre, the buyer is eager to make the building a centerpiece of downtown again - with some new twists that could include even showing films outdoors on summer nights.
The vision of the buyer, the Lompoc Housing and Community Development Corporation (LHCDC), includes restoring the theater to its original look, including the neon marquee that was installed in 1954, and possibly reopening the orchestra pit. Movies and live shows are planned for the theater, which was built by the Calvert family in 1927, according to Sue Ehrlich, head of LHCDC.
But other changes must be made to make the theater economically viable, she said.
Those include adding a balcony, possibly with access via an elevator; expanding the concession area; increasing the seating capacity from 450 to 600; adding an ice cream shop on the ground floor, in a now-empty storage space; creating a VIP lounge and night club upstairs, geared for the 20- and 30-something crowds; and additional office space to lease.
“Having something like a night club done in a themed way is a really good way to go,” Ehrlich said. “We want to create something for every age range in the community and every cultural group in the community.”
A well-rounded slate of events would include first-run Spanish language films among the offerings.
It also would include “summer movie nights” - with movies projected onto an outside wall of the building that would face an outdoor courtyard of a retail building that the LHCDC plans to build next door at Ocean Avenue and H Street.
Films would be projected on a mural depicting the theater's stage. People would be able to eat at a restaurant in the retail building and watch the movie, Ehrlich said.
The ideas already are beginning to generate some excitement.
“I think it will bring people downtown for sure and it will provide a venue for being able to have entertainment we don't currently have, like viewing old movies,” said Alice Milligan, the chairwoman of the chamber of commerce's downtown revitalization committee.
Having a working theater with all the new downtown buildings and other changes in the old town area will have a great impact, Milligan said.
Ehrlich's nonprofit group last week received approval of $475,000 in loans from the city toward the $850,000 purchase price. The building was appraised at $875,000. It is assessed at $218,958, according to records in the county assessor's office.
The exact cost of renovating the theater with the additions, while expected to be well over $1 million, has not been determined, but Ehrlich said she believes the funding will come from grants, government and possibly other sources. She said LHCDC hopes to break ground on the project in early 2007. The timetable for opening the theater has not been determined.
The LHCDC also has plans to safeguard the building by getting it listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Being on that list could help the theater earn tax credits to help pay for the renovations and improvements. Being listed would also preserve the building for people's enjoyment and make it make it difficult for anyone in the future to tear the theater down, Ehrlich said.
“We want this theater to belong to the community and provide all kinds of entertainment,” she said.
Mark Abramson can be reached at 737-1057, or mabramson@
lompocrecord.com.
March 27, 2006