••• The Music Academy of the West released renderings of its forthcoming Music Education Center at 901 State Street (at Canon Perdido), which the organization bought for $10 million last June. When completed, the three-story, 19,000-square-foot Music Education Center “will offer year-round programs, workshops, concerts, and collaborative projects—deepening the Music Academy’s roots, strengthening partnerships across local arts organizations and schools, and expanding access to high-quality music education and cultural experiences.” The plan calls for a performance hall and rehearsal hall, nine teaching studios, four practice rooms, a large ensemble/percussion studio, recording studio and podcast studio, three dressing rooms, costume space, six offices, kitchen, lounge, and rooftop event space. Building a concert hall takes a village: the creative team includes Brooks + Scarpa, TheatreDNA, Kirkegaard, and DMHA Architecture. The Music Academy is shooting for 2028.
••• Iris Galerie—where you can “turn your eye into a masterpiece”—has opened on W. De La Guerra, at the entrance to Paseo Nuevo.
••• That sweet corner space at 6 E. De La Guerra, on De La Guerra Plaza, will be home to an outpost of math-tutoring company Mathnasium. There’s a grand opening discount, if you want to surprise your kid with a fun gift this Christmas.
••• Press release: “The Land Trust for Santa Barbara County is proud to announce the permanent conservation of Rancho Dos Alamos, a 587-acre property in the rolling Solomon Hills of the Los Alamos Valley. This newly completed conservation easement—the organization’s 62nd—marks a significant milestone in regional land protection and was made possible through the vision and partnership of landowners Jimmy and Lindsey Dominguez and Steve Lyons. […] The property connects directly to other conserved lands, including Long Canyon, KickOn Vineyards, and the Los Flores easements, creating over 2,800 contiguous acres of protected rangeland.”
••• Even though I knew it was coming, I was bummed to see what the city has done to the Helena Avenue parking lot in the Funk Zone. The neighborhood lost around 25 free spaces, which it could hardly spare. Parking there now costs $3 per hour, and you have to go through the hassle of getting a receipt from the machine. From the look of things, people are not onboard yet. (The fee for a violation is $22, so I think I’ll roll the dice when I’m picking up lunch at Mony’s.)
••• The Preservation Hall Jazz Band plays the Lobero Theatre on February 19.
••• Anacapa Architecture‘s new office at 1023 State Street (Carrillo/Figueroa) sure looks sharp. More of this, please.
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