New funding has been announced for the historic Lompoc Theatre.
The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians Foundation pledged to match up to $150,000, with all funds going to the Lompoc Theatre Project.
The project aims to restore and revitalize the nearly 100-year-old venue, which has been closed since 1991.
The project is in it’s second of three phases, with officials hoping to have phase two completed by June 2025, when they reach a $3 million fundraising milestone.
Officials with the restoration project say the project should be completed by 2027, when the project aims to reach its $10 million fundraising goal.
“It’s going to change lives,” said Mark Herrier, Lompoc Theatre Project Executive Director, in a statement. “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.”
When the theatre reopens, officials plan to host movies, concerts, stand-up comedy, public forums, and festivals there, along with several other events.
