BY JULIANNE HOMOKAY
Special to the Alpine Mountaineer
Anyone who has been on the mountain long enough to remember the old Quonset hut at 23955 Lake Drive in Crestline surely has been wondering about the transformation the building has been undergoing.
Enter Jonathan Thompson, the CEO and director of Foxhound Studios, who acquired the building after he moved up here from Los Angeles when the COVID pandemic struck. Thompson is also now the founder of Skyland Arts Foundation, in residence at the building, and he and a talented band of board members and consultants have a vibrant, exciting vision for the future of arts and culture on the whole mountain. And now is the time the community can help make that vision a reality.
The building’s history
The former Quonset hut at 23955 Lake Drive had served many purposes over the years, including housing a movie theater, community theater groups and a planned artists’ collective that never took off. When Thompson acquired it, he began a remodel with state-of-the-art film and video production facilities in mind but, from the beginning, he always wanted to have the space serve his community in some way.
“No matter what,” he told the Alpine Mountaineer in 2024, “I want to do something for the community…I’m very invested.”
The flexible main space as it looks now.
Skyland’s vision
Since damage to the building during the 2023 snowstorm set him back, Thompson has had time to evolve his vision, including creating the Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, to host, sponsor, produce and/or curate a host of creative endeavors. He hopes the space will be able to accommodate all manner of performing arts, visual and fine arts, film and media, music events, culinary events, literary events, wellness events, private events such as weddings and retreats, educational workshops for all ages and community events such as festivals, haunted houses, paint parties and markets.
Thompson is guiding the transformation of the old Quonset hut into a facility that could readily accommodate this wide variety of offerings. The main event space is being built out to include modular staging, movable seating, retractable bleachers and storage – ultimately a space that can be converted easily from one mode to another in a minimal amount of time.
In addition to the flexible main space, the building now contains several adjunct rooms that can be used for a variety of purposes: green rooms, workshop spaces, breakout rooms, dressing rooms, VIP suites, indoor and outdoor event reception spaces and even a culinary kitchen. The entire facility will be soundproofed so that multiple events could potentially happen at the same time.
The Foundation’s board consists of Thompson; his wife, Lauren Thompson, a market research analyst and creative person in her own right; the “Great Connector” and local real estate mogul Jeff Perlis; and Stephen Duringer, Esq., a local attorney. Consultant Sara Green of Wears The Mountain rounds out the team. And while the entire team is excited about the prospect of so many offerings, they are unified in their belief that the ultimate goal is to connect and elevate the community across the mountain, from Cedarpines Park to Green Valley Lake.
Even though the Skyland Arts Foundation is housed in Crestline, “part of the reason it’s called ‘Skyland’ is to connect the community,” said Perlis. And Thompson wants the facility to “feel like it belongs to the community, honoring the building’s heritage.” For example, he has kept and is refurbishing the building’s original lobby. The culinary kitchen is being built out in the space that was used as the concession stand when the hut was a movie theater. And the name of the Foundation includes a nod to the silent film studio that the town of Crestline was built around.
Impact beyond arts and culture
The team has many ideas how the space could be used in emergency and disaster situations, especially given the garage door in the side wall of the main space that is close to two stories high. Said Green, “The building could become a hub during a disaster” and serve as a shelter, a heating or cooling center, a communications center, a staging area for EMS. Besides which, Mountain Transit, according to the team, has committed to adding a dedicated stop at Skyland/Foxhound to make accessing the building more convenient in a creative or emergency setting.
Green seems the most excited about the economic impact the center could have on the community as a whole. She sees how it could impact tourism and, given that Thompson would aim to have programming year-round, it could help ease “the seasonal rollercoaster” that impedes small businesses from being able to stay afloat. “It would solve the problems of the closing storefronts.”
“How do we become a destination?” asked Perlis, rhetorically. What will keep driving the tourism, what will keep people coming up from down the mountain or driving the extra few minutes from a community outside of Crestline? “It’s about quality experiences that make people want to come back,” answered Thompson. All of the events that come into the space from the community or are produced by Skyland Arts Foundation will be curated and held to a standard of excellence.
How you can help
There are a variety of significant ways the public can help Skyland Arts Foundation achieve its goal for the community. Fundraising, of course, is the budget cornerstone of any nonprofit organization, and the Foundation is exploring a variety of approaches in this essential function.
First, supporters and enthusiasts can attend a benefit concert this Saturday, July 25 from 6 to 8 p.m. in Twin Peaks, “Le International Show with Marcel & Friends.” The producers of the show have chosen Skyland Arts Foundation as one of the beneficiaries of the concert. (For more details, see our Arts & Entertainment Guide on page –.)
Second, and perhaps most importantly, members of the public who wish to see this vision come to life can visit skylandartsfoundation.org to donate through the website. The Foundation is offering a variety of perks depending on the contribution level. The Foundation is in the midst of a 90-day campaign to reach the finish line for Phase Two of the facility’s development, the funds that will get the building open: fire sprinklers, building completion, soundproofing, technical and modular equipment and launch support. The Foundation would also be delighted to accept in-kind donations (materials and services) to accomplish this goal.
Even if a potential donor could only share $25, $10 or even $5, “Share the story!” advocates Green. Huge crowds of small donors have proven that they can attract larger donors, matching funds and grants when they show how important a project is to their community. Use social media to let other people know what your community cares about.
The Skyland Arts Foundation’s potential impact on the mountain community is limitless. “The best way to solve most problems is breaking bread with your neighbors,” says Green. Thompson believes that an artistic event with an experience attached to it can serve this idea, which is what drives his immense vision for Skyland. “You think from the universe and work your way in.”
For more information, to donate or to submit a proposal/business plan for an event, show or workshop, visit www.skylandartsfoundation.org.
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