Search

Lookout Staff

June 17 -- Sinatra panned the sound, surfers dug the films and stoners rocked to psychedelic grooves at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, which turned 50 this week.

To commemorate the anniversary, City officials are whipping up a big community bash in August for the once-hallowed venue that has hosted the Academy Awards and seen the likes of the Doors, the Rolling Stones, David Bowie and Bob Dylan perform.

Today primarily a venue for trade shows and conventions – including the Gem & Jewelry Show, the AltBuild Expo and ArtsLA – the Civic featured state-of-the-art technology, including a hydraulic floor, when it opened in 1958. “The entire community,” City officials said in a statement, “can look forward to the next 50 years as the Civic Auditorium continues to provide a creative home in the heart of the City where residents will be entertained, inspired, engaged in exploring their own creativity, and continue to build community through celebrations and festivals.”

Funded by a citizen-led bond act in 1956, the Civic garnered worldwide attention when it hosted the Academy Awards in the early sixties, including the historic 1964 event when Sidney Poitier became the first Black to win an Oscar.

By decades end, it had become a major rock venue, drawing a who’s who of modern music. Legendary performances by David Bowie, among others, have circulated for years as expensive bootleg albums.

(Fittingly, though coincidentally, a live ’72 show recorded for radio during Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust tour will be released June 30 after being available only as a bootleg for 20 years.)

Those who played there aren’t the only stars. Designed by Santa Monica-based architect Welton Beckett, the International-Style building is under consideration for a National Landmark Designation. Beckett, known as a proponent of the jet-age style -- also designed the Capitol Records building and the Cineramadome.

During its first 50 years, the Civic Auditorium has hosted such community events as College fairs, the annual Thanksgiving Dinner staffed by volunteers, the School District’s Stairway of the Stars and the Santa Monica Symphony.

As for the bum rap about the acoustics: Frank Sinatra supposedly once groused about the sound during a benefit performance. But the problem was the sound system brought in by the benefiting charity, not the auditorium’s acoustics, which have served everyone from Andre Previn to Marilyn Manson.

For more information visit the Civic Auditorium’s online page at www.santamonicacivic.org or view its history, including the commemorative video, online at civicmemories.smgov.net.