City of Santa Barbara to Celebrate Oak Park Dance Floor Restoration

The City of Santa Barbara Parks and Recreation Department invites community members to join Mayor Randy Rowse and the Santa Barbara City Council for a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of the Oak Park Dance Floor Restoration. The ceremony will take place at Oak Park, (located at Alamar and West Junipero Streets) on Thursday, June 30, at 1:30 p.m.

The dance floor restoration project included extensive repairs to the century-old structure including: removing and replacing all framing, skirting, benches and handrail/guardrails, replacing damaged wood, improving the floor pitch to aid water run-off, and coating the surface to waterproof the floor. The new surface was selected with extensive input from dancers to ensure a proper surface for dancing and sufficient protection from the elements as the dance floor is used throughout the week by many dance and fitness groups and for park festivals.

The historic Oak Park Dance Floor was originally built in 1926 by the Campbell family of Goleta for a gala honoring England’s Prince George. It was purchased by a local farmer, Peter Irvine, in 1941 and transferred to Oak Park, where it has been ever since.

Funding included $125,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, approved by the City Council, and a generous $10,000 donation to the Parks and Recreation Community (PARC) Foundation from Chuck Keyser. Mr. Keyser made the gift to the PARC Foundation in memory of his friends George Alexiades and Luis Goena.