The Mechanics Bank Theater and Convention Center (formerly Bakersfield Civic Auditorium) is a performing arts theater and convention facility located in

Bakersfield, California Bakersfield is a city in Kern County, California, United States. It is the county seat and largest city of Kern County. The city covers about near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley and the Central Valley region. Bakersfield's populat ...

(specifically in the

Civic Center A civic center or civic centre is a prominent land area within a community that is constructed to be its focal point or center. It usually contains one or more dominant public buildings, which may also include a government building. Recently, the ...

Downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ...

). It is adjacent to the

Mechanics Bank Arena Mechanics Bank Arena is a multi-purpose arena in Bakersfield, California. Located downtown at the corner of Truxtun Avenue and N Street, it was built in 1998, and was originally known as Centennial Garden, a name submitted by local resident Brian ...

History

The Civic Auditorium was originally constructed in 1962, to attract the convention trade to the city. The first show at the auditorium was the Ice Capades, which was on November 20, 1962. The structure was one of Bakersfield's first buildings constructed in a definitively modern style.Maynard, John. ''Bakersfield: A Centennial Portrait''. Cherbo Publishing Group. Encino, California: 1997. . Page 82-83. In addition to housing the communities’ musical groups, such as the

Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra The Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is an American orchestra based in Bakersfield, California Bakersfield is a city in Kern County, California, United States. It is the county seat and largest city of Kern County. The city covers about ...

, it also contained a scenery loft and an orchestra pit, to facilitate Broadway musicals and ballets. By 1976, Bakersfield began plans for the facilities' first major expansion. The plan would include construction of a convention center, which would be intertwined with the existing theater. It would also include the construction of a hotel directly adjacent and connected to the theater. The convention center was completed in 1980, but budget problems would delay the hotel until 1993. The name was also changed to the Bakersfield Convention Center. In 1998, the facility was again modified. The parking lot, located east of the facility, was removed for the construction of the 10,000-seat sports arena. The combined complex was renamed the Centennial Garden and Convention Center. Incorporated in the design of the sports complex was a connection to the exhibit hall. This unique feature allows for the convention center to be used as a staging ground or warm-up facility for events being held in the arena. The entire complex was renamed seven years later, when the city signed a 10-year agreement with Rabobank, to name the complex the Rabobank Arena, Theater and Convention Center. Following the acquisition of Rabobank, N.A. by Mechanics Bank, the naming rights transferred to Mechanics Bank.

References

External links

Rabobank Theater and Convention Center
{{Authority control Buildings and structures in Bakersfield, California Convention centers in California Theatres completed in 1962 Tourist attractions in Bakersfield, California

History

See also

References

External links