81-year-old auditorium in Santa Barbara gets much needed renovation

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - One of Santa Barbara's oldest community centers is nearly complete after a lengthy remodel.

The newly restored Fleischmann Auditorium at Santa Barbara's Museum of Natural History opened up its doors for a sneak peak event Thursday afternoon.

The historic meeting place first opened in 1938 and is one of the most used spaces at the museum, hosting lectures, exhibits and fundraisers.

Museum President and C.E.O Luke Swetland explained the plan behind this 3.2 million dollar project.

"The auditorium has remained largely unchanged for eighty years. So clearly, it was a little tired, it needed some love. So in the same way we've been transforming other parts of the museum, we've raised over three million dollars to complete this project," said Swetland.

The auditorium officially opens to the public on December 6th for the Museum's annual Folk & Tribal Arts Marketplace.