Veterans Memorial Building open house

Veterans Memorial Building Open House
Monday, May 30th from noon to 3:00 pm the Board of Trustees for the Santa Cruz County Veterans Memorial Building will be hosting an Open House Memorial Day Celebration. Local veterans will be on hand to share their stories and offer guided tours of this historic Santa Cruz landmark located at 846 Front Street in Santa Cruz. Many of the veterans’ personal memorabilia will be on display and there will be information regarding the free support services available to veterans. This is your chance to come out and tour this historic landmark, meet your local veterans, and experience a piece of history. All are welcome and admission is free.

Originally constructed in 1932, this is the first time that the Veterans Memorial Building has been open to the public since it was closed in 2011 for seismic retrofitting. “We’re excited to have an opportunity to invite the public to be a part of what’s going on in here”, says Dr. Chris DiMaio, who served with the Marines as a medical officer in Vietnam and is now president of the Board of Trustees that oversees the operations for the county owned building. “A lot of people are unaware”, DiMaio continues, “that in addition to offering services to veterans, we have several different size spaces available for rent by the general public for receptions, seminars, classes…even music events or stage productions”.

Rent revenues generated by such use go directly to off-set the operating costs for veterans’ services as well as ongoing maintenance and improvements to such things as the sound system in the Chris G. Matthews auditorium which seats up to 300 people and the kitchen in the basement (affectionately called “the bunker”) where the locally famous holiday meals are provided free of charge on Thanksgiving and Christmas. As Dr. DiMaio states, “We’re a non-profit organization. Anything we take in goes directly back to those less fortunate or in need. The more we get, the more we can give.” For more information, contact the business office: (831) 454-0478

Tax deductible donations can be made by mail to: The Veterans Memorial Building, PO Box 1303, Santa Cruz CA 95061, in person at 846 Front Street, Santa Cruz or by visiting their website: VeteransHall.org