Video in the player above shows KGET’s previous coverage on the Crystal Palace.
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) – The Crystal Palace, once Kern County’s most popular tourist attraction, has been closed for a year now, listed for sale for $7 million. After more than 13 months on the market, the Buck Owens family finally opted to shutter the famous venue last Aug. 12, on what would have been Owens’ 96th birthday. Has anything changed in the past 12 months?
It’s been 30 years since the “Streets of Bakersfield” singer brought to life a longtime dream of his – owning his own country music venue.
Well, that dream came – and went. The Crystal Palace is no more. At least the music venue is no more. The building itself? Still here, but even that could now be in jeopardy.
Will it ever reopen? It looks for all the world like it could open tomorrow. But if the Buck Owens Private Foundation, owner of the concert venue, dinner club and museum, takes one of several offers on the table, the whole place might come down. Razed. Leveled.
Said Jim Shaw of Buck Owens Productions:
Since the listing and closing of the Crystal Palace last year we’ve had quite a bit of interest and several offers — including one still on the table that would be a tear-down! Our hope is that sooner than later the right person will step forward with a plan to reopen the venue in a manner that will bring our beautiful building back to life.
Jim Shaw
The family of the late country music legend, who opened the Palace in 1996, had a flirtation with Bakersfield municipal government, but that potential acquisition ultimately went nowhere. The city has more pressing budgetary concerns, like a $400 million upgrade to its wastewater treatment infrastructure.
And so the 18,000 square foot Okie Cathedral has gone dark.
Megan Simpson, who heads the city’s Visitors Bureau, hopes something can be done about that.
“You know, I’m born and raised in Bakersfield, and I love the Crystal Palace,” she said. “With the Bakersfield sign being connected to it, that’s kind of our identity, so I’d hate to see it torn down.”
The Palace clearly has sentimental and economic value. If the city doesn’t want to convert it into a welcome center and its municipal tourism headquarters, maybe a big name will lend a hand.
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Garth Brooks, Taylor Swift, Keith Urban, Dwight Yoakam, Johnny Knoxville – all of whom have past associations with the place – have all been mentioned as saviors. But of course that’s pure speculation and wishful thinking.
The building’s new owners would also inherit their own adjacent Bakersfield sign, which Buck himself donated. The building’s memorabilia, the naming rights, all of that’s available too. The foundation has been paying for maintenance and security all of this time, and it shows.
So, make an offer.
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