Lompoc Theatre poised to  break ground on long-planned renovations

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On May 2, the Lompoc Theatre Project will break ground on plans that have been in the works for almost two decades: restoring a historic performance space with the aim of reinvigorating the city’s downtown.

“We are actually doing it, and it’s important for people to be able to see what they’ve invested in and it’s actually working how they want it to,” project Executive Director Mark Herrier said. “It’s a big deal, and that’s why I wanted to celebrate it. It’s been a long journey.”

Herrier has been part of the nonprofit for about 13 years, he said, first as an advisor, then board member, board president, and most recently as executive director. The estimated more than $10-million project is entering its second phase, which entails construction on the nearly 100-year-old theater—seismically retrofitting the foundation, replacing the roof, moving the land office-turned-dressing-room back to its original location, building new dressing rooms and bathrooms, tiling and walling off the courtyard, and rehabilitating and restoring the stage. 

“It is a big project, and the only way we can get it done is to break it down into pieces,” Herrier said. “Phase 1 was getting rid of all the mold and asbestos and pigeons and other stuff.”

Costing about $600,000, the first phase cleared out and cleaned up the inside of the theater and paid for architectural plans that could help it move onto the next phases. The project has raised about $2.5 million so far for Phase 2, including $2.29 million from the state and $150,000 in matching funds from the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, Herrier said. Phase 3 will complete the theater remodel.

With the Theatre Project’s concurrent effort to get Lompoc’s theater building and the land use office listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Herrier said he’s pretty confident that the nonprofit will be able to raise the needed money to finish the third phase in the future. Once the buildings receive that designation, Herrier said it will open up millions of dollars in tax credits to put toward the restoration efforts. 

The Lompoc Theater opened in 1927 and turns 100 in 2027. If all goes according to plan, the theater will fully open in time for its centennial celebration, he said. The Lompoc Land Office was built in 1874, became a dressing room for the theater in 1929, and will eventually become a cinema boutique and game room to host events and screenings. The aim is to do that during Phase 2. 

“We have enough to compete the guts of Phase 2,” Herrier said, adding that the goal is to have the stage accessible and open to the public for events by next February. 

“That entire space will become its own black box theater,” he said. “We will be able to see performers on one side of the state and attendees on the other side of the stage.” 

The idea is to host small concerts such as the Stone Pine Sessions, which the theater started doing last year with artists like Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Grey DeLisle—just a taste of what the theater could do in the future. 

“It’s going to impact the community in ways I don’t think the community understands,” he said. “Nothing transforms an urban core more fast and permanently than restoring a theater downtown. … They’re economic engines.” 

The groundbreaking ceremony is open to the public and starts at 10 a.m. on May 2 in the theater’s parking lot, 112 North H. St., with tours of the theater until 11 a.m. 

This article appears in May 1-11, 2025.