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168 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 Another big day in Monterety: Monday, March 10, 2014: the day Eric and Lori Lochtefeld took possession of the vener- able venue. The Lochtefelds come to the party with plenty of experience: they own and run the Fox Theatre in Redwood City—the artist's venue for- merly known as Sequoia Theatre Building, also designed by Reid & Reid. "When we took over the Fox in 2010, the downtown was a ghost town," Eric says. "Locals called it 'Deadwood City.'" Many credit the now-thriving Fox as a major catalyst in the creation of what has become a flourishing, lively mini-urban environment. "In Monterey, we have excellent foot traffic, but there really is no entertainment. We want to light up downtown." And so far, so good. The Lochtefelds say that since opening, they've experi- enced more sellouts than in their first three years in Redwood City. "The support we've had from this com- munity has been amazing," Eric says. "We've actually accelerated our plans for the num- ber of shows we're producing." Originally, that number was four per month. Now, they're shooting for between 75 and 100 per year. "When we get to that point, downtown Monterey will be hopping." There's still plenty of work to be done on the Golden State Theatre's infrastruc- ture but the Lochtefelds vow that, "It will keep getting nicer and nicer. We're going to keep pouring love into it." View a schedule of upcoming events at www.goldenstatetheatre.com. On its opening, Monterey Mayor William Hudson pronounced the Golden State Theatre, "second to none in size and beauty between San Francisco and Los Angeles." Recent, finely detailed restoration and modernization has made this architectural treasure available to future generations. Eric and Lori Lochtefeld vow to bringing excitement to downtown Monterey through their historic venue. Photos: Kelli Uldall