What is the City Going to Do with the Civic Auditorium?

December 11, 2017 12:59 PM
by Karen Ginsberg

Since its debut in 1958 and throughout the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and early 90’s, the Civic Auditorium (“The Civic”) played host to capacity crowds and big name acts as diverse as Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Bob Dylan, James Brown, The Rolling Stones, The Beach Boys, The Supremes, The Doors, David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen, Buzzcocks, Sonic Youth, and U2.

In 2001, the mid-century modern “International Style” auditorium designed by Welton Becket — the celebrated architect of the Capital Records Tower, Cinerama Dome and Dorothy Chandler Pavilion — was designated a City landmark. By that time, however, the appeal of The Civic waned as its outdated performance technologies competed with newer state of the art venues. On June 30, 2013, the City formally closed The Civic due to the need for significant seismic and accessibility improvements, and to stem an annual operating deficit of nearly $2 million.

Prior to its closure, the City set out to finance the renovation of The Civic with $52 million in redevelopment funds to achieve long standing Civic Center Specific Plan (originally adopted in 2005) goals which envisions the expansion and improvement of the Civic to support musical and cultural performances as well as exhibitions and community gatherings. The City also initiated negotiations with the Nederlander Organization to operate and book events at The Civic. These plans and the funding were eliminated when Governor Brown dissolved all redevelopment agencies in California in 2012.

Moving forward, with the completion of Tongva Park, the Civic Center Village, and the Expo Line, the City continues to work on implementing the last remaining components of the Civic Center Specific Plan. To that end, construction of the Early Childhood Lab School (ECLS) is set to begin in early 2018 and the design plans for the multi-purpose field to be located east of the Civic is well underway. The City also anticipates commencing the SWIP (Sustainable Water Infrastructure Project) project in 2018 with project completion by 2020. Additionally, in an effort to gauge interest and market feasibility, the City recently issued a Request for Proposal seeking qualified teams and proposals to renovate and operate The Civic with the goal to revive the venerable building for the community and future generations to enjoy. This is the first in a continuing series on what’s happening with The Civic. Updates regarding The Civic RFP will be posted at www.smgov.net/civic as the proposal process evolves.

Authored By

Karen Ginsberg
Director