Lobero Theatre
A plaque near the entrance of the Lobero Theater in Santa Barbara identifies it as the site of Jose Lobero’s Opera House, the first legitimate theatre in Southern California. While one might debate the term legitimate, its closest “competitor” as an opera venue is San Bernardino’s opera house built in 1882. Seating 1300 patrons, the theater opened on Washington’s birthday in 1873. It was, at the time, the only opera house south of San Francisco, built on the site of an old schoolhouse. At the time of its opening, the Lobero was the largest adobe building in California and soon established itself as the cultural heart of Santa Barbara. In 1922 the Community Arts Association purchased the old Lobero, which had fallen into disrepair, and turned to the community for the support to build a new theatre, It opened in 1924 on the site of Jose’s original opera house.
Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara County
Photographer: Andrew Schmidt