The Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium is an event and convention venue located in downtown Santa Cruz, California. It is owned by the City of Santa Cruz and is located at 307 Church Street. Opened in 1940, it was built in what was described as, "Mission-style in architecture with a modern touch and an arrangement of open porches on the corners and sides."Bruce Bratton, "Civic Virtues: Rare among town halls, the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium has held a central place in the area's cultural and political life for 60 years", Metro Santa Cruz, March 29, 2000. Its style has also been described as Art Deco. It is the home of the Santa Cruz County Symphony and the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music as well as other concerts, expos, conferences, and sporting events. A carillon was installed in 1963.Traci Hukill, "Mystery of the Bells", Metro Santa Cruz, December 12, 1996.
In 1956, the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium was the location of a rock and roll concert that drew national attention after the local police stopped the event because of what they characterized as the dancers' "suggestive, stimulating and tantalizing motions"."June 3, 1956: Rock and roll is banned in Santa Cruz, California", History.com (accessed 2012-08-24)."Will Not Ban Rock, Roll Music in Santa Cruz", Associated Press in The Robesonian, June 7, 1956.
The Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium was the site of the annual Miss California beauty pageant from 1966 until 1985, when the pageant left Santa Cruz after years of protests and a "Myth California" counter-pageant organized by local feminist activists led by Ann Simonton and Nikki Craft.Kirsten Anderberg, "Radical body politics for women", KirstenAnderberg.com 2004.
In 1984, artist Guillermo Wagner Granizo donated a ceramic tile mural entitled, "A Gift of Appreciation to this Area," which featured imagery of past events at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium.
The auditorium was used as a temporary shelter for displaced and homeless people following the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. It was used for this purpose again in 2020 during the CZU Lightning Complex fires.
Concerts The Civic Auditorium hosted numerous bands such as Bad Religion, Bob Dylan, Bob Marley and the Wailers, Fela Kuti, Huddy, Amalia Rodrigues, Oliver Tree and Ween.
References
External links
"History of the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium", Santa Cruz Public Libraries.