History

The History of Santa Monica Civic Auditorium

Santa Monica Civic Auditorium was opened in 1958 during the summer season. It took the second position in Los Angeles Area.

The eminent domain played a significant role in securing the land for its construction. Initially, it boomed to be a music spot.

Due to demand and comfort, it became a one-stop spot for music, drama, movie, and film performances.

The city-owned project estimated to cost the city $2.9 million is renowned as Santa Monica’s home. One memorable performance was by Pink Floyd on the 1st of May 1970.

That is a second big event; the first one was in 1064, where the auditorium played a host to T.A.M.I show that featured The rolling stones and James Brown. That was before being a host for three straight years for hosting Academy Awards.

Twelve years after its opening, the Santa Monica Council brainstormed a report to make the auditorium a commercial center complete with office buildings, Business Park, a restaurant, a conference center museum open arena, and a playhouse. This called for renovation, redevelopment, and demolition.

Fourteen years later, the auditorium was running at a loss of over $2 million. The city had to redirect funds to fill the financial gap. The renovation project was estimated to be $51.9 million. They used development funds to do to use the Netherlander organization to host their events at the auditorium.

That was a dream seems the governor at that time- jerry Brown banned all such activities. There was a thought of a five-year closure from 2013 because of the brawl to leave the landmark; others thought it needed a complete overhaul.

However, the renovation went as planned, and the parking space is fully utilized; the place still plays host to limited film productions, private events, photoshoots, and conference meetings. The technological advancement depicted by electric vehicles and the latest modern filming design makes it a peculiar place for all our functions.