ROSE CENTER THEATER in Westminster.
By Jim Tortolano
Orange County Tribune
The fate of the Rose Center Theater will be discussed – but not decided – by the Westminster City Council when it meets in a special meeting/study session on Wednesday.
The study session is scheduled for 4 p.m. in the Council Chambers, 8200 Westminster Blvd,, to be followed by the regular meeting at 6 p.m.
Rose Center, a theater and ballroom complex in the Civic Center opened in 2006, has been the subject of recent controversy.
Several members of the council preferred that the theater – which seats 419 people and was originally intended to bring fine arts performances to the City of Westminster – be changed into a multicultural center.
On Nov. 12, the council voted to not extend the contract for the management of the Rose Center. In December the council voted to notify the Friends of the Theater organization to wind down operations and vacate the building by the end of the year, rejecting a staff recommendation to grant a six-month extension.
However, at the next meeting – in the face of some pushback from the public –the council reversed itself and voted to extend the agreement to the end of June 2026.
In the meantime, the council and staff will consider alternatives for the theater and ballroom.
