Lobero Theatre, Concert hall in downtown Santa Barbara, United States.
The Lobero Theatre is a concert hall and theatre in downtown Santa Barbara, built in the Spanish Colonial Revival style. The facade features stucco walls, clay tile roofing, and ornamental ironwork, and the hall seats around 600 people.
The theatre was founded in 1873 by an Italian immigrant and was among the first permanent performance venues in the region. It was largely rebuilt in the 1920s by American architects, who gave it the appearance it has today.
José Lobero, a Genoese trombonist who came to California during the Gold Rush, gave the theatre its name; the venue was long called the Opera House in newspaper ads. Susan B. Anthony spoke here on 17 October 1896 for California Amendment 6, with all 1,300 seats filled and hundreds turned away. The Music Academy of the West holds many of its summer concerts here.
The theatre is in the heart of downtown Santa Barbara and easy to reach on foot from many hotels and restaurants. Arriving a little early before a show is a good idea, as the surrounding streets and nearby spaces are worth a short walk.
The present building dates from 1924, when George Washington Smith and Lutah Maria Riggs replaced José Lobero's 1873 opera house for the Community Arts Music Association. In 2023 Architectural Digest placed it among the world's eleven most beautiful theatres. Its 1,300-seat predecessor hosted Susan B. Anthony on 17 October 1896, when hundreds were turned away.
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