Los Angeles Theatres: Santa Monica Civic Auditorium

1855 Main St. Santa Monica, CA 90401 | map |

The news: In July the City announced that they had entered into negotiations with Revitalization Partners Group to explore renovation and operation of the building as an entertainment venue. Phase one is surveying the property, determining budgets and identifying problems.

The five partners in RPG are Live Nation, the Azoff Company (led by former Ticketmaster and Live Nation honcho Irving Azoff), the brand strategy outfit Make Good Group, investment outfit Geyser Holdings and the hospitality agency Oak View Group (led by Tim Lieweke, formerly running LA Live when he led AEG). For more details see "Work in Progress: City in negotiations to restore 'iconic' Civic Auditorium," Jennifer Nehrer's August 1, 2024 story for The Argonaut. Thanks to Kurt Wahlner for spotting it.

Opened: 1958. The Civic was the site of the 1961 - 1968 Academy Awards. Thanks to Richard Wojcik for sharing this mid-60s postcard as a post on the Facebook page Vintage Los Angeles.

Phone: 310-458-8551 Website: smgov.net/departments/ccs/civicauditorium

The city's website provides information regarding the future of the building. A contact person is Thomas Poon at 310-458-8350. The city expects to issue a RFP in the fall of 2017. They're looking for a developer to renovate the building and then be its operator.

The main floor is on a hydraulic lift allowing the front of the auditorium to be brought up to stage level for use of the space as a 16,200 s.f. flat floored exhibition hall.

The stage is 39' deep x 115' wide. Grid height is 70'. The proscenium is 31' high x 65' wide.

Architect: Welton Becket and Associates, a firm responsible for many other Los Angeles buildings including the Cinerama Dome.

Welton Becket in a 1960 photo from the Los Angeles Public Library.

Louis Naidorf was the firm's lead architect on the project. Several years earlier he had designed the Capitol Records building for the Becket firm. The photo by Al Seib is from Pamela Chelin's September 2023 L.A. Times story "The architect of L.A.'s iconic Capitol Records building sets the record straight — again — on that needle." In the article he says:

"It's something I wanted to be since I was a little kid. My architecture license was so hard to come by. I don't want to give it up. I don't want to be retired. I want to be an architect until I fall over. I plan to be buried as a licensed architect."

A 1957 story about the construction. Thanks to Ben Golomb for locating it for a post on the private Facebook group "You know you're from Santa Monica if..."

Seating: 3,000 in concert format.

Closing: It closed June 30, 2013 and its future is being debated. In recent years it had been underutilized.

Status: Endangered. The City of Santa Monica wanted to tear it down instead of giving it an expensive upgrade. One possibility is redeveloping adjacent property to pay for renovations.

There was going to be a deal with the Nederlander organization to book the theatre. Evidently that was contingent on a chunk of redevelopment agency money being available for renovations. With the demise of redevelopment agencies statewide, the money vanished -- and the deal collapsed.

See the May 2013 Curbed story "Should SaMo Tear Down Its Midcentury Civic Auditorium?" The Santa Monica Daily Press ran a May 19 story about the city's plan to mothball the venue. A June Santa Monica Mirror piece detailed the city's struggles with the future of the building.

The L.A. Times ran a June 29, 2013 story about the closure. Curbed L.A. ran a piece in March 2014 by Neal Broverman suggesting that a revitalized Civic could be the centerpiece of a new cultural district.

Deliberations and dithering: The city wants to sell or lease it and has been deliberating. Arnold Darrow noted that the Auditorium was designated as surplus land by the City Council at their meeting on October 11, 2022. In "Santa Monica to Consider Selling Civic Auditorium to Developers in a Closed Session," a July 19, 2023 story from the Santa Monica Observer, David Ganezer asks:

"Will the historic building's landmark status be maintained in any transaction regarding its future? Be allowed to be torn down if sold?... One local resident says that in a closed session, the Santa Monica City Council could sell it off to developers in a desperate attempt to close a budget shortfall."

In "Absenteeism and anger delay Civic Auditorium discussion," a July 20, 2023 Santa Monica Daily Press story, Matthew Hall noted:

"The fate of the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium remains in limbo this week after council delayed discussions regarding the site due to community outcry and an absent councilman. An update on a potential sale of the property had been scheduled for a closed session discussion on July 18 but will now be held on July 25. While various community members came to the July 18 meeting to demand all discussions regarding the site be held in public, the item remains part of the closed session for next week."

One scheme was to give or sell the building to the school district. A school district plan was outlined in "Santa Monica-Malibu School District Unveils Plan to Revive Historic Civic Auditorium," a September 2023 article in the Santa Monica Mirror. Thanks to Arnold Darrow for spotting the story. That idea didn't go over well.

In 2024 the city council expressed a desire to find some entity that wanted to rehab it for entertainment purposes. In a January 10, 2024 Facebook post that was spotted by Arnold Darrow the City listed a February 8 deadline and noted:

"The city of Santa Monica has issued a public notice and request for letters of interest for the revitalization of the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium as an entertainment, events and cultural arts venue. The city is seeking an individual or entity to lease the site and, through a Disposition and Development Agreement in the form of a long-term ground lease, to renovate, reopen, program and manage the property. Learn more: https://santamonica.gov/press/2024/01/10/city-issues-request-for-letters-of-interest-for-the-revitalization-of-the-civic-auditorium"

Details were on the city's website as "City issues request..." See "What Will Become of the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium?," a February 16, 2024 article by Chris Nichols for Los Angeles Magazine.

Status: In mid-2024 the City entered into an agreement with Revitalization Partners Group to explore rehab and reuse of the building as an entertainment venue. See details at the top of the page.

Interior photos:

In the lobby for opening day at the Santa Monica Civic in 1958. It's a photo taken by Christina House for the L.A. Times. Thanks to Alison Martino for posting the photo on her Facebook page Vintage Los Angeles where she credits it to the Los Angeles Public Library.

A 2013 lobby view. The terrazzo was re-done in the 90s. It's a photo by Nina Fresco from a 25 photo set on the Save the Civic Facebook page.

The balcony level lobby. Photo: Nina Fresco - Save the Civic Facebook page - 2013

Liz Taylor is heading to the stage for her best actress Oscar in 1961 for "Butterfield 8." She's escorted by then-husband Eddie Fisher. Ej Catli had the Life photo as a post on the Vintage Los Angeles Facebook page.

The Oscars in 1966. "The Sound of Music" got the Best Picture award. Thanks to the Santa Monica History Museum for sharing five photos of the event from their Bob Smith collection as a post on their Facebook page. There was also a re-post in 2024.

The auditorium in concert mode. It's a photo from the City of Santa Monica's web page for the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium.

The house set up with a flat floor in banquet configuration. Photo: Nina Fresco - Save the Civic Facebook page - 2013

Ever wondered what was underneath the Civic's adjustable floor? This is part of the hydraulic system. Photo: Nina Fresco - Save the Civic Facebook page - 2013

A look backstage behind the movie screen. Photo: Nina Fresco - Save the Civic Facebook page - 2013

A view into the house taken in 2023 by Stephen Shaefer Photography. Thanks to Chris Nichols for including it with "What Will Become of the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium?," his February 2024 article for Los Angeles Magazine.

A few more exterior views:

Opening day 1958 at the Civic. Alison Martino shared the photo on Vintage Los Angeles, where she credits it to the Los Angeles Public Library.

A 1958 photo taken by Christina House for the L.A. Times. The photo appears with "The architect of L.A.'s iconic Capitol Records building sets the record straight — again — on that needle," Pamela Chelin's 2023 L.A. Times story about architect Louis Naidorf.

A May 1, 1958 photo by Howard D. Kelly from the Los Angeles Public Library. Thanks to the Los Angeles Relics Facebook page for spotting it in the collection. The Library's caption:

"Aerial view of a section of Santa Monica showing the Ocean Park Arena (across Pico Blvd. from auditorium), Santa Monica Civic Auditorium (square white building at center, Welton Becket and Associates, Architects), Santa Monica High School and Memorial Open Air Theater (at upper center); view is looking slightly northeast. Pico Boulevard runs diagonally from bottom left to top right; Neilson Way peeks out from bottom left corner; Main Street zig-zags from middle left to botom right; 3rd street from center to middle right; 4th street runs from middle left to middle right, between high school track and auditorium property; the Santa Monica (10) Freeway is visible from middle left to top right and is paralleled by Olympic Boulevard on the left. Photograph was taken for Pioneer Flintkote."

Thanks to Richard Wojcik for his post of this 1958 Julius Shulman / Getty Research Institute photo. It was a post on Vintage Los Angeles where his comments include several additional photos.

A 1958 Julius Shulman / Getty Research Institute photo appearing on Vintage Los Angeles as a post by Richard Wojcik.

Another 1958 Julius Shulman photo from the Getty Research Institute collection. Thanks to Chris Nichols for including it with "What Will Become of the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium?," his February 2024 article for Los Angeles Magazine.

A 1960 photo by Eugene Hanson in the Herald Examiner collection of the Los Angeles Public Library.

The gathering for the Oscars on April 17, 1964. It's a photo by Anthony J. Carro / Keystone / Getty Images. Thanks to Torbjörn Eriksson for locating it for a post on the Los Angeles and Southern California Nostalgia Facebook group. The image had appeared with an April 14, 1964 story about the event in Variety.

The Oscars in 1966. Thanks to the Santa Monica History Museum for sharing five photos of the event from their Bob Smith collection as a post on their Facebook page. There was also a re-post in 2024.

A 1968 Academy awards photo from the Facebook page Save the Civic.

A 1968 photo in the Los Angeles Public Library collection from Marc Wanamaker.

A 2008 photo taken by Cbl62 that appears on Wikimedia Commons.

A photo by Grace Adams appearing with the July 20, 2023 Santa Monica Daily Press story "Absenteeism and anger delay Civic Auditorium discussion." That's Santa Monica High on the left.

Santa Monica Civic in the Movies: The venue was the location for filming "The T.A.M.I. Show" (American International, 1964).

More Information: There's a Save The Civic page on Facebook. Wikipedia has an article on the Santa Monica Civic.

See a page listing various concerts that had been held at the theatre on the site Concert Archives. Thanks to Arnold Darrow for spotting this.

Santa Monica Civic Auditorium

2 comments: