Earlier this month, the Louise Lowery Davis Center at 111 W. Victoria St. in Santa Barbara reopened with some major upgrades.
"[There's] additional lighting, we've raised all the ceilings up, so that feels a lot more open and airy," said Rich Hanna, Santa Barbara Parks and Recreation Manager.
Hanna says the project took around five years to complete with crews making improvements to the interior and exterior of the building in addition to a new outdoor patio.
The Parks and Recreation Department is currently seeking partners to expand the offering of free programs and services available at the community center.
"You’ve got your event space, to your activity room, out to the courtyard and we can do events for up to 114 people," Hanna said. "Most of our senior activities right now, we probably have anywhere from eight to 10 participants in each of those activities that we currently offer."
The century-old building was built in 1923 as part of Santa Barbara’s first public high school and has served as a community recreation center since 1933.
"It's nice to bring it on and actually have it function in a way that I think the community can use for decades to come," Hanna added.
