Way Back When: It’s Showtime

By Betsy J. Green

Back in July 1914, the newly constructed Recreation Center on Carrillo and Anacapa streets was getting ready to open its 850-seat auditorium. The seating seemed to be the star of the show, according to one article in the local paper. “The chairs are roomy and do not shake or collapse . . . Neither do the chairs squeak, and they are tasteful.”

The Recreation Center was indeed well built. It would survive the 1925 earthquake, and moreover served as an emergency shelter in the quake’s aftermath.

Betsy’s Way Back When book — 1919 — is now available in local bookstores and at Amazon.com. This is the sixth book in her series of the history of Santa Barbara, one year at a time. Learn more at betsyjgreen.com​