Santa Monica Civic Auditorium

Santa Monica Civic Auditorium is a city-owned multi-purpose event facility at 1855 Main Street in Santa Monica, California. Opened in the summer of 1958, it was designed by Welton Becket and constructed by Millie and Severson General Contractors as a combined theater, concert venue, trade-show hall, meeting facility, and civic auditorium. The building was developed on land associated with Belmar, historically Santa Monica’s first African American community, which was acquired through eminent domain. Its construction cost was reported as approximately $2.9 million at the time, making it a significant municipal investment in the city’s cultural and convention infrastructure. The auditorium is distinguished by a mid-century modern design using reinforced concrete, parabolic structural pylons, a large cantilevered canopy, a glass curtain wall, and a brise soleil intended to reduce solar glare. Its most notable functional innovation is a hydraulically operated main floor that can be quickly converted between a level surface for exhibitions, banquets, and dancing and a raked configuration for theatrical or seated events. The principal exhibition area measures approximately 11,775 square feet, with a 4,485-square-foot stage, a 4,200-square-foot East Wing meeting room, and a 6,708-square-foot main lobby. Depending on the format, the main hall can accommodate about 3,000 concert attendees, 720 banquet guests at tables, or as many as 2,500 people for sporting events. During its early decades, the Civic Auditorium became one of the Los Angeles region’s prominent music and entertainment venues. It hosted artists from a wide range of genres, including David Bowie, Eric Clapton, Frank Sinatra, Elton John, Prince, Bob Dylan, Ella Fitzgerald, Traffic, Mötley Crüe, Sonic Youth, The Cramps, and many others. The venue also hosted the filmed T.A.M.I. Show on October 28 and 29, 1964, featuring performers including James Brown and the Rolling Stones. From 1961 through 1968, it served as a venue for the Academy Awards, helping establish its profile beyond Santa Monica. The building has also been associated with important recordings and performances. George Carlin recorded Class Clown there in 1972 and first delivered his “Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television” routine at the performance. The Eagles played three consecutive shows at the auditorium in July 1980 during the Long Run Tour, with much of the resulting material appearing on Eagles Live. Pink Floyd, Phish, Blue Öyster Cult, and numerous other touring acts also performed there. The Santa Monica Symphony Orchestra remains associated with the facility. Despite its cultural history, the auditorium has faced long-term financial, seismic, accessibility, and modernization challenges. By the 2000s, the city was covering an annual operating deficit reported to have reached as much as $2 million. Plans for a major renovation, including a proposed $51.9 million project and a possible booking arrangement with the Nederlander Organization, were suspended after California’s redevelopment agencies were dissolved. The city later anticipated a lengthy closure for upgrades, with seismic and accessibility work alone estimated at at least $23 million and a complete renovation expected to exceed $50 million. The Civic Auditorium is a city-designated landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. As of 2016, its use had been limited principally to filming, photography, private events, meetings, and selected activities in the surrounding parking area. In late 2023, a consortium involving Oak View Group, Live Nation, and other parties expressed interest in restoring the property as a seated concert venue. Santa Monica entered an exclusive negotiating period with the group but later ended the discussions, citing cost, feasibility, and possible overruns. A separate conference-center redevelopment concept was reported for 2026, proposing demolition of the existing structure and development of a Santa Monica Global Conference Center; its future remained subject to public and municipal consideration.

Santa Monica Civic Auditorium was built as a major municipal cultural and convention facility and opened in the summer of 1958. Designed by Welton Becket and built by Millie and Severson General Contractors, it was constructed on the former Belmar site, an area historically associated with Santa Monica’s African American community. The land was assembled through eminent domain. At opening, the auditorium was described as the second-largest auditorium in the Los Angeles area. The building’s architecture reflects mid-century modern civic design. Reinforced concrete construction, parabolic pylons, a broad cantilevered entrance canopy, a glass curtain wall, and a patterned brise soleil give the exterior its characteristic appearance. Internally, the building was planned for multiple uses rather than a single performance format. A hydraulic system allows the main floor to be raised or lowered, creating either a sloped arrangement for theater seating or a flat floor for trade shows, exhibitions, dancing, banquets, and other events. The facility includes approximately 11,775 square feet of trade-show space, a 4,485-square-foot stage, a 4,200-square-foot East Wing meeting room, and a 6,708-square-foot lobby. Capacities vary by configuration, reaching approximately 3,000 for concerts, 720 for banquet seating, and 2,500 for sporting events. The Civic Auditorium developed a broad cultural role during the second half of the twentieth century. It hosted concerts by performers spanning popular music, rock, jazz, comedy, and other genres. Its event history includes David Bowie, Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr., the Cramps, Eric Clapton, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Elton John, Prince, Bob Dylan, and many others. The T.A.M.I. Show was filmed at the facility on October 28 and 29, 1964, bringing together major performers including James Brown and the Rolling Stones. The Academy Awards used the auditorium from 1961 through 1968, further associating the building with national entertainment events. The venue also became part of recording and broadcasting history. Pink Floyd performed there in 1970. George Carlin recorded Class Clown at the auditorium in May 1972, and the performance included his early “Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television” routine. The Eagles’ three July 1980 shows during the Long Run Tour supplied much of the material later issued on Eagles Live. Blue Öyster Cult’s 1986 performance was recorded for radio, with some of its material released years later. Phish played its only show at the venue in December 1994, while the auditorium also hosted numerous other touring acts and community performances. The Santa Monica Symphony Orchestra has remained connected with the building. The property’s later history has centered on preservation, operating economics, and competing redevelopment priorities. In 1986, the City Council examined preliminary plans involving combinations of offices, a hotel, museum, conference facilities, a playhouse, parking, and open space. Some alternatives contemplated demolition, but the auditorium’s landmark status complicated redevelopment decisions. During the 2000s, the facility reportedly ran an annual deficit of up to $2 million, covered by the city. Santa Monica pursued a renovation proposal valued at approximately $51.9 million and discussed a possible booking relationship with the Nederlander Organization. That effort was suspended after Governor Jerry Brown dissolved California’s community redevelopment agencies, which had been expected to support the project. The city subsequently anticipated a lengthy closure beginning in 2013. Seismic and accessibility work was estimated at no less than $23 million, while a full renovation was expected to exceed $50 million. Although replacing the facility could be less expensive from a purely economic perspective, the building’s status as a city-designated landmark and its listing on the National Register of Historic Places have made demolition and replacement matters of substantial public significance. By 2016, the auditorium was being used on a limited basis for filming, photo shoots, private events, and meetings. The adjacent parking area also accommodated events such as the AltCar Expo, which focused on advanced electric vehicles. In late 2023, RPG, a group reported to include Oak View Group, Live Nation, and other participants, approached the city about restoring the property as a seated concert venue. Santa Monica granted an exclusive negotiating period, but later discontinued it after negotiations raised concerns over project feasibility, cost, and possible overruns. A further concept reported for 2026 proposed demolishing the existing building to create a Santa Monica Global Conference Center, with Morphosis associated with an initial study. The long-term disposition of the property therefore remains a matter of municipal planning, historic preservation, and public debate.

• 2026

  Conference-center replacement proposal reported

  [1]Santa Monica Civic Auditoriumen.wikipedia.org

  A reported proposal envisions replacing the auditorium with a global conference center and commissioning an initial site-use study.

• 2023

  Concert-venue restoration negotiations begin

  [1]Santa Monica Civic Auditoriumen.wikipedia.org

  Santa Monica enters exclusive negotiations with an RPG-led group regarding restoration as a seated concert venue, later ending the negotiations.

• 2013

  Extended closure anticipated

  [1]Santa Monica Civic Auditoriumen.wikipedia.org

  The city anticipates a closure of at least five years for seismic and accessibility improvements.

• 2011

  Major renovation plan is suspended

  [1]Santa Monica Civic Auditoriumen.wikipedia.org

  A proposed $51.9 million rehabilitation effort loses its expected redevelopment-funding mechanism after California redevelopment agencies are dissolved.

• 1986

  Redevelopment alternatives are studied

  [1]Santa Monica Civic Auditoriumen.wikipedia.org

  The city reviews redevelopment scenarios, including alternatives that would remove the auditorium.

• 1980

  Eagles Live performances

  [1]Santa Monica Civic Auditoriumen.wikipedia.org

  The Eagles play three Long Run Tour shows whose recordings contribute substantially to Eagles Live.

• 1972

  Class Clown is recorded

  [1]Santa Monica Civic Auditoriumen.wikipedia.org

  George Carlin records Class Clown at the auditorium, including his famous television-censorship routine.

• 1964

  T.A.M.I. Show is filmed

  [1]Santa Monica Civic Auditoriumen.wikipedia.org

  The venue hosts the filmed T.A.M.I. Show on October 28 and 29.

• 1961

  Academy Awards period begins

  [1]Santa Monica Civic Auditoriumen.wikipedia.org

  The auditorium begins hosting the Academy Awards, a role it continues through 1968.

• 1958

  Auditorium opens

  [1]Santa Monica Civic Auditoriumen.wikipedia.org

  The city-owned Santa Monica Civic Auditorium opens as a large flexible venue for concerts, theater, conventions, trade shows, and civic events.

A historically significant civic and cultural venue combining mid-century modern architecture with flexible concert, convention, exhibition, meeting, theater, banquet, and community-event capabilities.

• Concert and performance hall · 1958

  Main Auditorium

  The principal hall is a flexible performance and event space with concert capacity of approximately 3,000. It has hosted touring musicians, comedy performances, awards programs, theatrical events, and civic gatherings. Its adaptable configuration allows the room to support both seated performances and other event formats.

• Convention facility · 1958

  Trade Show and Exhibition Space

  The facility provides approximately 11,775 square feet for trade shows, exhibitions, product displays, and related convention activity. The main floor can be leveled through its hydraulic mechanism, allowing the same space to shift from audience seating to a flat exhibition or event surface.

• Meeting and conference space · 1958

  East Wing Meeting Room

  The East Wing adds approximately 4,200 square feet of meeting space for conferences, workshops, receptions, and supporting activities. It complements the auditorium’s larger hall and lobby by providing a more contained setting for meetings and event operations.

• Hospitality and event space · 1958

  Lobby and Banquet Configuration

  The approximately 6,708-square-foot lobby supports guest arrival, receptions, awards events, and circulation for larger programs. In banquet configuration, the overall facility can accommodate approximately 720 guests at tables.

• 2016AltCar Expo

  United States

  The auditorium’s parking area was used for the AltCar Expo, an event presenting advanced electric vehicles and related automotive technology.

  Outcome. The event demonstrated that the property could continue to support outdoor exhibitions and technology-focused gatherings even while the auditorium’s conventional operations were limited.

  Source

• 2026

  Global conference-center replacement conceptStrategy

  Background

  Questions about the property’s viability as a music venue continued alongside local development and preservation debates.

  Action taken

  A reported proposal called for demolition of the existing auditorium and development of a Santa Monica Global Conference Center. Morphosis was reported to have agreed to conduct an initial study of potential uses.

  Aftermath

  The proposal represented a possible future direction rather than a confirmed redevelopment outcome.

  Source

• 2023

  Exclusive negotiations for concert-venue restorationStrategy

  Background

  A consortium associated with Oak View Group, Live Nation, and other parties proposed restoring the property as a seated concert venue.

  Action taken

  The city entered a six-month exclusive negotiating agreement with the RPG group.

  Aftermath

  Santa Monica ended the exclusive negotiations after citing project costs, feasibility questions, and the risk of cost overruns.

  Source

• 2011

  Pursuit of a major renovationStrategy

  Background

  The city faced a deteriorating, deficit-producing facility requiring seismic, accessibility, and broader modernization work. A renovation program was estimated at approximately $51.9 million.

  Action taken

  Santa Monica pursued redevelopment-funded renovation planning and discussed event-booking cooperation with the Nederlander Organization.

  Aftermath

  The effort was suspended after California’s redevelopment agencies were dissolved, leaving the city to reassess funding and priorities.

  Proposed renovation cost. $51.9 million (2011-era planning)

  Source

1. 1Santa Monica Civic Auditoriumen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Santa Monica Civic Auditorium official websitesantamonicacivic.org