The Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza is a

performing arts The performing arts are arts such as music, dance, and drama which are performed for an audience. They are different from the visual arts, which are the use of paint, canvas or various materials to create physical or static art objects. Perform ...

center and

city hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...

for the city of Thousand Oaks, California. Across

Thousand Oaks Boulevard Thousand Oaks Boulevard, previously known as Ventura Boulevard, is a street in the Conejo Valley, Ventura County. It stretches from Thousand Oaks through Westlake Village to Agoura Hills. In Thousand Oaks, it is located in the downtown area and w ...

from

Gardens of the World Gardens of the World is a botanical garden in Thousand Oaks, California, situated directly across Thousand Oaks Boulevard from Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, within the downtown core of the city. Established in 2001, the park was given to the ...

, the site is considered the downtown core of the city. City hall includes Planning and Building Department, Public Works and other city departments. A park within the site is named for

Richard Carpenter Richard Carpenter may refer to: * Richard Carpenter (theologian) (1575–1627), English clergyman and theological writer * Richard Carpenter (ca. 1700–1750), original owner of the Belvale property in Virginia * Richard Cromwell Carpenter (1812� ...

and his wife Mary. The immediate areas surrounding Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza was among the first populated parts of the Conejo Valley. The site, which was previously home to the Jungleland USA theme park, was home to some of the valley's first settlements in the 19th century. Prior to the settlers, the area was inhabited by the Chumash Native-Americans.

Structure

Constructed in 1994 at cost of $63.8 million, the site was formerly

Jungleland "Jungleland" is the closing song on Bruce Springsteen's 1975 album ''Born to Run''. It contains one of E Street Band saxophonist Clarence Clemons' most recognizable solos. It also features short-time E Streeter Suki Lahav, who performs the delic ...

. The project was designed by AIA Gold Medal architect Antoine Predock in combined

Postmodern Postmodernism is an intellectual stance or mode of discourseNuyen, A.T., 1992. The Role of Rhetorical Devices in Postmodernist Discourse. Philosophy & Rhetoric, pp.183–194. characterized by skepticism toward the " grand narratives" of moderni ...

and Modern architecture styles including large sculptures mounted to the sides of the building. The 210,000 sq. ft. building is ornamented with Indian sandstone. At its highest, the building towers ten stories; at its lowest, 22 feet under ground where it is anchored in volcanic rock.Baker, Pam and Jim Dunham (2002). ''Thousand Oaks and Westlake Village''. Community Communications, Incorporated. Page 52. . The site was home to a Chumash summer camp in pre-colonial times, known as Ipuc (Ven-654). In the 19th century, the site was land which belonged to Egbert Starr Newbury where he established the Conejo Valley's first post office.

Performing arts center

Bank of America Performing Arts Center includes the Fred Kavli Theatre, an 1,800-seat theater Kavli Theatre and the 394-seat Janet & Ray Scherr Forum. Notable performers here have included Switchfoot, Jason Mraz, Paul Anka, Colbie Caillat, Vince Gill, Art Garfunkel, Kenny Rogers, The Beach Boys, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Sara Evans, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, and Peter, Paul and Mary. Entertainers such as

Liza Minnelli Liza May Minnelli ( ; born March 12, 1946) is an American actress, singer, dancer, and choreographer. Known for her commanding stage presence and powerful alto singing voice, Minnelli is among a rare group of performers awarded an Emmy, Grammy ...

, Bill Cosby, David Copperfield, BB King,

Sheryl Crow Sheryl Suzanne Crow (born February 11, 1962) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actress. Her music incorporates elements of rock, pop, country, folk, and blues. She has released eleven studio albums, five compilations and three li ...

Mikhail Baryshnikov Mikhail Nikolayevich Baryshnikov ( rus, Михаил Николаевич Барышников, p=mʲɪxɐˈil bɐ'rɨʂnʲɪkəf; lv, Mihails Barišņikovs; born January 28, 1948) is a Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic, Soviet Latvian-born R ...

, David Foster, and

Jonathan Antoine Jonathan Frederick Antoine (born 13 January 1995) is an English classically-trained tenor. He rose to fame after appearing on the Britain's Got Talent (series 6), sixth series of ''Britain's Got Talent'' in 2012 as half of the classical duo Jona ...

have also performed. Music director

Elmer Ramsey Elmer Hollis Ramsey (June 3, 1930 – February 9, 2018) was the founder and conductor of Conejo Symphony Orchestra, which was a precursor to the New West Symphony. He also established the Conejo Pops Orchestra. Ramsey was a professor at California ...

was instrumental in the development of the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza. The

New West Symphony The New West Symphony is a regional professional symphony orchestra serving the Los Angeles metropolitan area. It was founded in 1995. The orchestra's players are professional musicians drawn from the rich pool of classical musicians in the Los An ...

is the resident orchestra. They are also resident orchestra of the Oxnard Performing Arts Center and Santa Monica's Barnum Hall.

References

External links

* {{Thousand Oaks Buildings and structures in Thousand Oaks, California Modernist architecture in California Antoine Predock buildings Performing arts centers in California Event venues established in 1994 1994 establishments in California

Structure

Performing arts center

See also

References

External links