What to See in Eureka - Top Sights and Attractions

Theater in Eureka, California. The Eureka Theater is an Art Moderne–style cinema built in 1939 in Eureka, California. The movie theater was initially proposed in 1937 as part of a larger development that would include a five-story, 162-room hotel, which was soon scaled back to the theater with flanking commercial spaces. Built by theater magnate George M. Mann, the theater was designed by noted San Francisco designer William B. David, who had once worked in the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Art Department in the mid-1930s. The Eureka Theater was considered an ultra-modern movie theater when constructed in 1939 and was an expression of optimism and confidence in Eureka and Humboldt County, California as they pulled out of the Depression. The Eureka Theater ceased showing regularly scheduled movies on August 1, 1996. The theater is currently undergoing restoration, and is available for rent as a performance or event venue.^[5]

Museum in Eureka, California. The Humboldt Arts Council is the official Humboldt County, California, USA arts council, and is located in the Morris Graves Museum of Art.

Organized in 1966 and incorporated in 1971 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation dedicated to providing opportunities for artists, developing arts education, and making the arts accessible through innovative and multicultural programs. The Council, as Humboldt County’s largest multidisciplinary arts organization, focuses on working in partnership with artists, arts organizations, community groups, and schools to strengthen the arts’ accessibility and impact as aesthetic, personal and social resources. The Council envisions that the importance of art will be evident in all aspects of life in Humboldt County, including homes, schools, businesses, and government. The Council is dedicated to providing leadership in support of the rich heritage of the arts on California’s North Coast, and to bringing this legacy fully into community life.

In 1987, HAC became the State Local Partner for the California Arts Council and the community representative for the California State Summer School for the Arts Program.

In 1996 the Humboldt Arts Council accepted an offer from the City of Eureka to undertake the effort to save the historic 1904 Carnegie Library building, which was destined for demolition. The former Carnegie Library had been a symbol of community pride and local culture for over 100 years. After the successful Carnegie Capital Campaign to raise $1.5 million from the local community, foundations and corporations, the Council began the restoration process in 1999 to convert the historic Carnegie building into a regional art museum and art center. On January 1, 2000 the Humboldt Arts Council and the community celebrated with a ribbon cutting ceremony to dedicate the Morris Graves Museum of Art (MGMA) for its new “Century of Service” to the community.^[6]

Botanical garden in the Humboldt Hill, California. The Humboldt Botanical Gardens are at the southern edge of Eureka, California, United States. The Gardens are near the South Bay portion of Humboldt Bay on the north side of College of the Redwoods. Grading and site preparation for the Gardens began in August, 2003. The garden opened in 2006, with more development completed by 2008. The Humboldt Botanical Gardens offices are located in downtown Eureka.

The Gardens were first organized in 1991. Its Lost Coast Brewery Native Plant Garden has an emphasis on the Humboldt region, but includes plants in the geographic area from the Rogue River to the north shore of San Francisco Bay, and inland to a north–south line running from Vacaville through Williams, Redding, Yreka, Medford, and along the Rogue River to its mouth. The Gardens are particularly interested in maintaining complete native conifer, Iris and Lilium occidentale (western lily) collections.^[8]