Arlington Theatre, Spanish Colonial Revival theatre in State Street, Santa Barbara, United States.
The Arlington Theatre is a movie venue on State Street in Santa Barbara featuring Spanish Colonial Revival architecture throughout its design. The interior is designed to resemble a Spanish colonial town street, complete with a fountain and building facades that create an immersive environment.
The Arlington was built in 1930 at 1317 State Street on the site of the Arlington Hotel, destroyed after the 1925 Santa Barbara earthquake. It opened as a showcase movie house for Fox West Coast Theaters, designed by the local firm Edwards and Plunkett. Metropolitan Theatres restored and expanded it in the mid-1970s, reopening in 1976; the company filed for Chapter 11 in March 2024 while stating the theatre would keep operating.
This venue serves as a key host for the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, where filmmakers and industry professionals showcase their work throughout the year. The space draws cinema lovers who come to experience premieres and conversations about film.
The space offers wheelchair access to all seating areas and provides digital projection along with 3D screening options for different viewing preferences. Closed captioning and audio descriptions are available to make the film experience accessible to more visitors.
The 27-rank "Wonder Morton" pipe organ, one of only five built by Robert Morton, came from Loew's Jersey Theatre. Restored in 1986-88 and installed in 1988, it sits hidden below the orchestra floor and rises into view on a platform for performances.
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