The historic Creative Arts Building, Pittsburg’s hidden jewel, is located on the Pittsburg High School campus.

 A $5 million bond measure, the biggest in state history when passed in 1956, allowed for construction of the Creative Arts Building and Hillview Jr. High School as well as additional classroom construction at Heights Elementary School and El Pueblo School.

 Since opening in 1959, the Creative Arts Building has been an integral part of Pittsburg High School, serving as classroom for band, choir and drama and a gathering point for high school students and staff and district personnel. It has a glorious history in its role as a site for community cultural events and is home for the award-winning Pittsburg Community Theatre. It has also been the site for performances by Louis Armstrong, Ray Charles, James Brown, Stevie Wonder, the San Francisco Symphony, San Francisco Ballet and international talent.

 The 2,000-seat main theatre is the largest indoor performance arts venue in Contra Costa County, nearly three times larger than the Lesher Center in Walnut Creek, and is the second largest in the East Bay to the 3,500-seat Berkeley Community Theater, which is a sister structure located on the Berkeley High School campus. The Creative Arts Building also has a 250-seat Little Theatre.

 Now 45 years old, the Creative Arts Building is in need of some loving repair with the “Adopt-A-Seat” program only the first step in restoring it to its former glory. Theatrical architects from Landry & Bogan have completed a detailed study of what it will take to bring the building back to state-of-the-art capability and rate it as a 9 on a 1-to-10 scale as a performance venue.

With the passage of Measure E in November 2004, Pittsburg voters committed to building a new elementary school and new junior high school. As a result of that vote, the Pittsburg Unified School District will become eligible for state matching funds to restore and refurbish district buildings, including the Creative Arts Building.