Santa Ynez Chumash provide $150,000 matching grant to Lompoc Theatre Project
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. – The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians Foundation announced a $150,000 matching grant commitment to the Lompoc Theatre Project.
The Lompoc Theatre Project's plan is to restore and reopen the nearly century-old venue just before it meets that century mark in 2027.
The building on the corner of Ocean Avenue and H Street has been dormant since 1991.
“This is a project that can revitalize that stretch of downtown Lompoc and become a hub for entertainment in the area,” said Kenneth Kahn, Tribal Chairman for the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians. “We are proud to support efforts that foster community enrichment through the arts and have the potential to bring together people from diverse backgrounds.”
In April 2012, Mark Herrier, the Executive Director of the Lompoc Theatre Project, and a 13-member Board of Directors, became the fourth group to attempt to resurrect the theatre since its closure.
Herrier said, “This theater was the pride and joy of this town, I get emotional. People were so proud of it. Slowly but surely, it has come to represent a Lompoc that has fallen on hard times. The hard-working people who live here do much of the heavy lifting that benefits the entire county, but they don’t have a single entertainment center of their own. This empty theater has been a symbol of the decline - now it will become the engine for its renaissance.”
The Project is in its second of three phases that is expected to be completed in June of 2025 when it reaches a $3 million fundraising goal.
The third and final phase it currently projected to be completed in 2027 with a $10 million fundraising threshold just shy of its opening day in 1927.
The theatre is expected to show more than just movies and plans to host a variety of community events and activities.
“There will be something for every single person in town,” Herrier explained. “Lompoc is proudly the most diverse community in Santa Barbara County and that diversity will be represented in our programming. The kids in town will feel like this is their stage.”
Before that reopening goal is reached, there are major restoration projects planned for both the exterior and interior. You can find out more about the Lompoc Theatre Project and even help out by visiting their website here.
The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians Foundation has donated more than $25 million to hundreds of local groups and across the nation. For more information, visit www.santaynezchumash.org.
