The Lost Church Santa Rosa
photo credit: The Lost Church Santa Rosa Facebook page

The curtain is closing at The Lost Church, the intimate performance venue in downtown Santa Rosa. 

“It was founded in San Francisco to be a listening room. A small room for intimate performances, stuff you just can’t get in a big room,” said Josh Windmiller, Lost Church Development Director, explaining the venue's origins.

Windmiller was part of the original group that founded the Santa Rosa venue in January 2020 – what ended up being dismal timing. The pandemic shut all event spaces down, but eventually The Lost Church was revived in September 2021.

The venue had to close briefly in February 2024 due to permitting issues but has been going strong since June with an average of 5 shows per week.

But that is all about to end, as The Lost Church is leaving their current space in the former Press Democrat building in downtown Santa Rosa. Their final show on Saturday, November 23rd is part of an effort to raise $250,000 to find a new home.

Bryce Dow-Williamson, general manager for The Lost Church in Santa Rosa, believes this fundraising goal will give them flexibility.

“Either you find the spot and then figure out how much money you raise, or raise enough money for what you know you need to get for it, ‘cause permits aren’t cheap, and building out a space into a venue is not cheap, and you know, we want to make sure that it has the vibe and aesthetic and quality that we’ve built up in both our Santa Rosa and San Francisco spaces,” said Dow-Williamson.

So far, they have raised a bit over $40,000 from individual donations, as well as some larger grants from businesses and foundations.

Dow-Williamson said, “Stanroy Music Center has promised another $10,000 once we find a particular spot, and then the Hellman Foundation has also offered support.”

Beyond offering a space for musicians and the public to enjoy intimate shows, The Lost Church is also a safe space for others to learn and train in the music industry. 

“Everybody’s interested in working with music, but it’s hard to find a space where it’s safe for young people, safe for queer people, safe for trans people, safe for people of color,” said Dow-Williamson.

After their final show in November, there will continue to be pop-ups to raise funds toward their ultimate goal. 

“We are working hard. We want to say in Santa Rosa," Windmiller assured.

To learn more, visit TheLostChurch.org