A long-awaited project to create a new pedestrian pathway through the historic arts district in downtown Santa Barbara got underway with a groundbreaking ceremony this past week.
Plaza Granada is located behind The Granada Theatre, 1214 State St., and near a city-run parking garage between Victoria and Anapamu streets. The project, about 10,000 square feet, is slated for completion by June, according to Caren Rager, president and Chrisham executive director of The Granada.
“I’m excited to reach the final phase of this project,” Rager said. “Plaza Granada is going to create a safe, enhanced experience that invites theater patrons, visitors and our entire community to enjoy our downtown dining, shopping and cultural district.”
The Plaza Granada will feature safer pedestrian walkways, better lighting and landscaping, trash facilities and drainage upgrades, among other improvements. The project also calls for enhanced parking and a drop-off facility for entertainer buses and trucks utilizing the backstage entrance of the theater.
With the recent changes happening downtown, including the closing of State Street to cars to allow for greater pedestrian access during the COVID-19 pandemic, Plaza Granada will add a welcoming entry to the cultural heart of Santa Barbara, Rager said.
A unique feature of the project is a large-scale mural that will reflect “the world-class performing arts that we are fortunate to have in our city,” Rager said.
The 8-foot-tall mural installation is expected to be about 150 feet wide, and it will run from the sidewalk along State Street through the pedestrian walkway of the paseo. Santa Barbara muralists Sayak Mitra and Tracy Lee Stum were chosen for the project after a competitive call for submissions.
The project will complete a dream of the late Michael Towbes, a beloved philanthropist, iconic developer and banker who died in his Montecito home in 2017 of pancreatic cancer. He was 87.
“We are honored to be able to finally help realize his vision,” said Palmer Jackson Jr., executive chairman of The Granada. “This has been a real team effort.”
The Granada Theatre has raised nearly $2 million from board members and other donors to undertake the capital improvement project, according to Jackson.
Plaza Granada is the culmination of several years of dedication and planning between area business owners, city officials, patrons of the arts and residents, who collaborated to develop the renovation, according to project officials. The effort to go from idea to groundbreaking was almost a decade in the making.
“Here’s to finally seeing it done,” said Brian Cearnal, founder of Cearnal Collective and architect of the project. “Santa Barbara is so about paseos, and we are finally going to make this a real paseo that’s going to celebrate the performing arts at The Granada Theatre, and be a safe place and a safe connection for people using the Granada garage going to State Street.”
In addition to Cearnal, those responsible for bringing the project to fruition include project architect Rogelio Solis of the Cearnal Collective as well as The Towbes Group CEO Robert Skinner and Derek Hansen, executive vice president of The Towbes Group, who is serving as the project development consultant and general contractor.
In a statement, Skinner said Thursday’s groundbreaking ceremony marks a major milestone in the pursuit of a dream that started with the renovation of The Granada Theatre, one of the city’s great assets.
“If Michael Towbes was here with us today, he would be beaming and effusive,” Skinner said. “Although the next steps in this journey are likely the most visceral, none of this would have been possible without the dedication, selfless commitment and hard work of an incredible team of people and the generosity of our city’s patrons.
“On behalf of Carrie and Lianne Towbes, Derek Hansen, whose team will now roll up their sleeves and get a bit dirty, and over 120 people who make up the lifeblood of The Towbes Group, we feel privileged and quite honored to have been selected by The Granada Theatre to help bring Mr. Towbes’ vision to life and make the Plaza Granada a reality.”
Speaking to a small group of attendees, Santa Barbara Mayor Cathy Murillo shared a message of gratitude “to all of you for working so hard on improving this little corner of the world.”
Murillo pointed out that many popular spots are located near the project site, including Santa Barbara’s dining scene and The Colleges of Law Santa Barbara campus.
“The law school is here,” she said. “Tons of people work around here. Visitors, patrons of the arts, and people eating at Mollie’s. They are all going to love coming through the new, improved area.”
“Godspeed on the installation of the project,” Murillo added.
With the ceremonial hard hats and shovels, masked dignitaries and the officials involved in the project scooped up the first pile of dirt to mark the start of construction for the project.
Click here for more information about the Plaza Granada project.
— Noozhawk staff writer Brooke Holland can be reached at bholland@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.