The Golden State Theatre sells for $4.5 million to a Santa Cruz nightclub operator.

A changing of the guard is underway at Monterey’s famed Golden State Theatre, where the operator of a popular Santa Cruz nightclub has come to take the reins and guide the venue into the next decade.

Previous owners Lori and Eric Lochtefeld sold the 95-year-old, 1,003-seat theater at 417 Alvarado St. for $4.5 million to Igor Gavric, who is operating as Monterey Historical Development LLC, according to county property tax records. Gavric is the general manager at the Catalyst Nightclub in Santa Cruz, where he started as a bouncer when he was 20 years old, according to news clips from 2010. The Weekly was unable to reach Gavric by press time.

The Lochtefelds bought the historic theater for $3.9 million in 2014 amid a swirl of interest that had the city of Monterey considering a public buyout of the property in order to stand up a cultural arts center, says City Manager Hans Uslar. The Lochtefelds arrived fresh off their success at the Fox Theater in Redwood City, an old theater they bought and revived into a serious music venue.

The Lochtefelds had similar success with the Golden State Theatre, which evolved into a vibrant venue for an array of events under their tenure. (The Lochtefelds did not return multiple requests from the Weekly for comment.)

Uslar says he has plans to meet with Gavric next week to discuss the new owner’s vision for the theater and what his expectations are.

“Since it’s a prominent anchor I always appreciate meeting with the operators,” Uslar says. “The Lochtefelds really turned the theater into an attraction for the city and an anchor on Alvarado Street.”