The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians has announced that a $500,000 matching grant given to the Lompoc Theatre Project in December has been matched by the nonprofit, which aims to restore and revitalize the city’s nearly 100-year-old venue.
With construction currently underway and eyes set on the historic theater’s centennial in December 2027, donors helped achieve the latest $500,000 goal in just five weeks.
This is the second matching grant extended by the tribe to the Lompoc Theatre. The first one was for $150,000 in 2023, and thanks to an overwhelming response from the community and longtime project supporters, the ambitious group was able to raise funds for those matching dollars within seven months of the grant being announced.
The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians has now committed a total of $650,000 to the Lompoc Theatre Project, which before long will bring movies, concerts, live performances and more back to the venue.
“The remarkable progress made on this project shows just how deeply the community believes in the future of the Lompoc Theatre,” said Kenneth Kahn, tribal chairman for the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians. “Our tribe is proud to support an effort that will restore a cherished landmark.”
The Lompoc Theatre has been dormant for over 35 years, but the nonprofit group behind the restoration project has a fundraising campaign in place with a plan to reopen the facility near its 100th birthday next year.
The theater, located in the heart of Lompoc near the corner of Ocean Avenue and H Street, showed its last film and closed in 1991.
In April 2012, Mark Herrier, executive director of the Lompoc Theatre Project, and a 13-member Board of Directors became the fourth group to attempt to bring the once prominent venue back to life.
“The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians stepped forward two years ago with our first major foundation grant, and they have now more than tripled it,” Herrier said. “It is no exaggeration for me to say that this crucial and early support has been fundamental and foundational to our success.
“The citizens of Lompoc will treasure that support for generations when our doors finally reopen.”
In addition to showing movies, the plan is to host live music, concerts, stand-up comedy, salsa dancing, cultural events, political debates, holiday parties, public forums, art and film festivals, and Spanish language movie nights.
The project is currently in its second of three phases and once initial improvements outlined in the Phase II plan are complete by the end of 2026, Lompoc Theatre will be able to host live events in a special temporary backstage theater that can accommodate an 85-person audience.
Phase III plans, targeted for completion to coincide with the theater’s centennial celebration next year, involve extensive interior and exterior renovations that will allow Lompoc Theatre to open at full capacity; including roofing, structural, foundational, seating, painting, flooring, walls, electrical system, lighting, fire sprinklers, a resurfaced parking lot, a retrofitted basement and more.
Once the final phase is complete, the theater will again welcome guests and host a full audience, as it did when the doors were first opened in 1927.
“Overwhelmed with gratitude. That’s all I can really say,” said Barbara Satterfield, president of Lompoc Theatre Project, describing the reaction from the Board of Directors following the outpouring of support during the year-end fundraising campaign.
“Every dollar raised gets us closer to re-opening day and continues to demonstrate there is passionate interest in expanding arts and culture in the Lompoc Valley. We are ready to meet that need,” she said.
Community support remains crucial to bringing the historic treasure back to life. The theater’s three-phased renovation totals $18.9 million, with $6.5 million left to raise.
Joining the cause are longtime supporters and friends of Lompoc Theatre, actors Brad Hall and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who are serving as Honorary Chairpersons for the capital campaign to fund the project.
For anyone wishing to make a lasting impact on arts and culture in the Lompoc Valley, available naming opportunities include the stage, adjacent historic land office, education suite, and grand lobby.
To inquire about naming opportunities or to donate, visit lompoctheatre.org; text LOMPOC to 50155; or mail a check to 740 North H St. #238, Lompoc, CA 93436.
Learn more about the future of Lompoc Theatre at lompoctheatre.org.
To find out more about the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians Foundation and its giving programs, visit www.chumash.gov.
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