22 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY OCTOBER 22-28, 2026 www.montereycountynow.com IF YOU HAVE EVER WALKED THROUGH DOWNTOWN CARMEL, you have probably noticed and admired the massive Sunset Cultural Center complex. Its handsome facade faces San Carlos Street, and its parking lot sprawls along 8th Avenue. Today it is a concert venue that hosts many musical groups, and home to two art venues, the Center for Photographic Art and the Marjorie Evans Gallery. It is also the place to catch free movie screenings, or attend a lecture on local history. Its story began a century ago with a handful of children. In the first years of the 20th century, the village of Carmel had just enough young residents to need a school. At first they met in private homes. Later a schoolhouse opened on San Carlos Street. In 1926, Oakland architect John J. Donovan built a proper campus, the Sunset School, in the Tudor Revival style. Five years later came the piece that would define the place as more than a school. The 718-seat auditorium opened in 1931, designed by architect Charles J. Ryland in the Collegiate Gothic style. The Carmel Bach Festival was founded four years later, and the auditorium quickly became the town’s gathering place for civic, social and artistic life. By the 1960s, the school needed more room. “The school was outgrowing the space,” explains Beth Bowman, who has served as Sunset Center’s executive director since 2019. “It was time; the school district was already building another location.” The City of Carmel passed a bond and bought the campus in 1965, beginning its transformation from a schoolhouse into a community and cultural center. A year later, the center appointed its first director: photographer Cole Weston, a Sunset School alumnus. His hiring neatly linked the campus’ past as a school to its future as a visual and performing arts center. Recognition and reinvention followed. In 1998, Sunset Center was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Between 2001 and 2003, a multimillion-dollar public-private renovation modernized the theater. In 2003, the nonprofit Sunset Cultural Center was formed to operate and care for the historic campus. Sunset Presents began booking a mix of global music, comedy, theater, dance and cultural events. In 2008, the center launched Classroom Connections, its signature arts-education program. The program brings Sunset Presents artists into local classrooms and brings students into the theater for performances. Students, families, teachers and schools pay nothing. The program has since reached thousands of students across the Central Coast. Today, Sunset Center hosts nearly 150 events a year through Sunset Presents and its resident companies: the Monterey Symphony, Carmel Bach Festival, Carmel Music Society and Chamber Music Monterey Bay. Partners including the Carmel Public Library Foundation and Monterey Peninsula Ballet Theatre also use the space. After 100 years, the center is throwing itself a party. On Sunday, Oct. 25, the community is invited to a free block party. It kicks off “Century of Creativity, 1926– 2031,” a five-year celebration spanning the centennials of the campus and of the stage that made it famous. The afternoon will feature performances by the resident companies. They will be joined by Youth Music Monterey’s brass ensemble and string ensemble, the Carmel Unified School District chamber singers and string quartet, and Monterey Peninsula Ballet Theatre. The Center for Photographic Art hosts a photo-booth bus and a book signing. Yoga Shala will offer wellness activities indoors and out. The Carmel Public Library will record visitors’ Sunset Center stories, and DJ Paul Wylde will spin vinyl on the plaza. There will also be face painting, treats from the Kindness Cookie Project, along with popcorn, hot dogs and more. The centerpiece may be the Legacy Wall. Led by artist-in-residence Sally Russell, it is a single enormous artwork made by and for the community and meant to last. Visitors are invited to add their art, handwriting and memories, even a message to whoever stands in that spot 100 years from now. Then they can sign their names to the next century of creativity. For Bowman, the center’s magic happens one encounter at a time. Her favorite moment came in 2019, when singer Sheléa performed during her Natural Woman: A Night of Soul tour, which showcased her album Pretty World: Through the Eyes of Alan and Marilyn Bergman. “I got to go backstage,” Bowman says. “It’s incredible to meet some artists as individuals.” She hopes to carry that spirit of connection through the years ahead. “The idea is to make each season during the five-year campaign even more special,” Bowman says. Centennial Community Celebration happens 1-4pm Sunday, Oct. 25. Sunset Center, 908 San Carlos St., Carmel. Free. (831) 620-2048, sunsetcenter.org. Sunset Center’s 718-seat auditorium was added to a 1926 schoolhouse, transforming it into a community venue. Left: Young audience members of today attend a free show of The Peking Acrobats in 2025. Right: Students of another generation, in the old Sunset School in the 1950s. Sunrise, Sunset The Sunset Center has been the hub of Carmel for 100 years. To celebrate, it’s throwing a party. By Agata Popęda PATRICE WARD MONTEREY BAY PHOTO TOURS
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjAzNjQ1NQ==