The Luther Burbank Center for the Arts (sometimes called the LBC), and previously known as the Wells Fargo Center for the Arts from March 2005 to March 2016) is a performance venue located just north of

Santa Rosa, California Santa Rosa ( Spanish for " Saint Rose") is a city and the county seat of Sonoma County, in the North Bay region of the Bay Area in California. Its estimated 2019 population was 178,127. It is the largest city in California's Wine Country and ...

, near

U.S. 101 U.S. Route 101, or U.S. Highway 101 (US 101), is a north–south United States Numbered Highway that runs through the states of California, Oregon, and Washington, on the West Coast of the United States. It is also known as (The Royal Roa ...

. The facility is owned and operated by the Luther Burbank Memorial Foundation, a non-profit arts organization established in 1979.

Facilities

The principal performance space is the Ruth Finley Person Theater, which seats 1,612 around a wide stage, with no seat further than from the stage. In addition to performing arts, the Center offers facilities for parties and community events. The Center's smaller venues include: * Carston Cabaret (capacity: 100–300 people) * East Auditorium (capacity: 400) formerly known as The Merlo Theater * Fireside Room, with gas-powered fireplace * Pavilion (outdoor location) * Lytton Rancheria Grand Lobby * Atrium * A atrium * three conference rooms

Presentations and tenants

The Center presents more than 100 performances each year. Many notable artists have performed at the Center. Resident companies include the North Bay Stage Company and Roustabout Theater. Other tenants include the Santa Rosa Original Certified Farmers Market and various medical and educational organizations.

History

The Foundation purchased the property from the Christian Life Center in the 1970s for $4.5 million. The facility opened to the public in 1981. Henry Trione, a philanthropist affiliated with Wells Fargo bank, assembled a group of donors, dubbed "Henry's Angels", who purchased the property for $4.5 million cash in a bankruptcy court in 1981. In 2006, the Foundation sold the naming rights to

Wells Fargo Bank Wells Fargo & Company is an American multinational financial services company with corporate headquarters in San Francisco, San Francisco, California; operational headquarters in Manhattan; and managerial offices throughout the United St ...

for ten years, coming into effect on March 12, 2005. The foundation continued to own and operate the center, which reverted to its original name on March 12, 2016. The center's east wing was heavily damaged in the

Tubbs fire The Tubbs Fire was a wildfire in Northern California during October 2017. At the time, the Tubbs Fire was the most destructive wildfire in California history, burning parts of Napa, Sonoma, and Lake counties, inflicting its greatest losses in ...

Notable performances

The venue was the site of the taping of comedian

Lewis Black Lewis Niles Black (born August 30, 1948) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. His comedy routines often escalate into angry rants about history, politics, religion, or any other cultural trends. He hosted the Comedy Central series '' Lewi ...

's fourth album, ''

Luther Burbank Performing Arts Center Blues ''Luther Burbank Performing Arts Center Blues'' is Lewis Black's fourth album. It was nominated for a Grammy for Best Comedy Album in 2006. It was recorded at the Luther Burbank Center for the Arts in Santa Rosa, California Santa Rosa ( Span ...

'', and the final recorded performance by comedian

George Carlin George Denis Patrick Carlin (May 12, 1937 – June 22, 2008) was an American comedian, actor, author, and social critic. Regarded as one of the most important and influential stand-up comedians of all time, he was dubbed "the dean of countercu ...

, his 14th HBO special, ''

It's Bad for Ya ''It's Bad for Ya'' is the 19th album as well as the 14th and final HBO stand-up comedy special by stand-up comedian George Carlin. It was televised live on March 1, 2008, on HBO, less than four months before Carlin died of heart failure at age ...

''.

References

External links