At 1317 State Street the Arlington Theatre rises ahead of you, the city's largest movie theater and principal performing arts venue. Combining the Mission Revival and Spanish Colonial Revival styles, it is the largest movie theater and principal performing arts venue in the city, seating 2,010. Built on the site of the Arlington Hotel that was destroyed following the 1925 Santa Barbara earthquake, the current structure was erected in 1930 as a showcase movie house for Fox West Coast Theaters.
Designed by the local firm Edwards and Plunkett, the exterior features a Mission Revival steeple. In the mid-1970s Metropolitan Theatres restored and expanded the auditorium, reopening it in 1976. It stages regular screenings and artists and is home to many events associated with the annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival.
In March 2024 its operator, Metropolitan Theatres, declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy, though the company stated the theater will not be affected and will continue to operate normally during the procedure. Notice the architecture, the 2,010 seats, and the Mission Revival steeple crowning this venue at the heart of State Street's festival life.