The long-awaited moment is finally upon us – the dream of a new Pacific View Arts Center will officially come true with a ribbon cutting ceremony, followed by an open house, on Tuesday, August 6 at 9:30 a.m.

A week later, on Tuesday, August 13, the public will begin to enjoy a variety of classes and workshops at the 380 West F Street campus.

Class offerings include a variety of subjects: performing arts, dance, singing, songwriting, drawing, painting, watercolor, printmaking, sculpture, writing, and sewing. Additional classes will be added as the center’s open hours expand.

The online registration portal with class titles and detailed info is here, and information about becoming a teaching artist is here. The city offers a free arts newsletter that will include Pacific View updates; you can sign up here.

The old Pacific View Elementary School campus was in the midst of being refurbished and brought up to code to become the new Pacific View Arts Center in this photo from March 2023.

Over a decade has passed since the City of Encinitas purchased the shuttered school from the Encinitas Union School District in a last-minute bid before the property came up for auction. The purchase was buoyed by immense public demand, and dozens of Encinitas residents worked to make the facility come back to life after its closure in 2003.

Hopes for the revitalization of the mid-century facility had risen and fallen over the years, but the blufftop campus’ fortunes turned when the city decided to fund the project after private efforts didn’t succeed.

The Pacific View Arts Center is now poised to enrich the lives of Encinitas residents for generations to come. Congratulations to the hundreds of North County residents whose vision, passion and energy made this success possible!