The Louise Lowry Davis Center has served as a community recreation center since 1933. Built in 1923, the building was originally part of Santa Barbara’s first public high school. When the high school relocated in 1924, the building transitioned to serve as a junior high school. In 1933, the Board of Education granted permission for the Parks and Recreation Department to use the building as a community center, and it was remodeled for such use. The building was significantly refurbished in 1969, when Louise Lowry Davis, an outstanding recreation supervisor of women’s sports, donated money for the project. The building was named in her honor.
In 2015, the Parks and Recreation Department began the process of developing a full-scale renovation of the community center. In March 2021, construction began on exterior improvements to the building. During construction, the Department secured additional funding from Measure C funds to complete interior improvements as well. The building reopened to the public in November 2024.
