The iconic Lobero Theatre in downtown Santa Barbara is preparing for long-awaited updates to its rear courtyard, including a three-level building with a new backstage area, banquet hall, and rooftop deck with an attached bar and lounge.
Plans for the proposed additions received a glowing review with the city’s Historic Landmarks Commission on January 28, with the commission unanimously in support of moving forward with the current design with minor refinements.
Marianne Clark, executive director of the Lobero Theatre, spoke about the proposed additions, which she said were intended to honor and build upon the architectural vision of George Washington Smith and Lutah Maria Riggs, who originally designed the theater in 1924.
“For more than a century, the Lobero has stood as a pinnacle of Santa Barbara architecture,” Clark said. “By contrast, the rear courtyard, with its many iterations of temporary tents, has never done justice to that architectural masterpiece.”
Clark said that the Lobero board of directors and design team worked to craft a proposal “worthy of the Lobero’s stature,” with elegant but restrained additions that “complement rather than detract from the historical character of the building.”
Mark Shields, senior design director with DesignARC, presented the current plans, which have been downsized by more than 4,000 square feet from the original proposal in an effort to make the additions fit “more comfortably” at the site, Shields said.
The proposed additions would be built around the backside of the existing fly tower. After receiving input on the first version of the design, Shields and the design team downscaled the footprint and removed the basement that was originally part of the proposal.
Now, the proposal includes a two-level scene shop with attached offices and a multi-level structure with a backstage area on the lower level, a 130-seat banquet hall on the second floor, and a bar/lounge with a roof deck on the upper level.
Shields said the banquet area and open-air terrace would be “ideal event spaces” with views of downtown Santa Barbara and the surrounding mountains.
Shields described the balancing act of adding new architectural elements to existing historical landmarks and said the design team was mindful of being both “complementary” and “deferential” to the original design by renowned architects Smith and Riggs.
The proposal received almost all positive comments, with Commissioner Cass Ensberg calling the project a “home run” that worked well with the surrounding streetscape.
Commissioners agreed that the project met all compatibility standards, and unanimously granted the height allowance of 46 feet — just one foot higher than the city limit. The commission did not require story poles, but asked that Lobero’s staff and board of directors provide the public with detailed updates as the project moves through the review stage.
Commissioners provided suggestions for refinements to the windows and building proportions. The project will continue with a city Planning Commission review in the coming months.
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