Probst’s Name on Center to Disappear

The last remnant of mysterious millionaire Charles E. Probst’s legacy to this city will soon disappear--just like the man himself.

The Thousand Oaks Alliance for the Arts announced Tuesday that Probst’s name will be stripped from the Center for the Performing Arts at the Civic Arts Plaza because he has reneged on a contract with the plaza’s fund-raising arm to donate $2 million.

Citing donor confidentiality, alliance Executive Director Patricia Moore refused to say how far behind Probst was in his payments or when he last paid the group. But some close to the decision say the businessman--who left Thousand Oaks after selling his North Ranch mansion for $10 million a year ago--owes more than $1 million and made his last payment more than a year ago.

“The contract has not been completed by the Probsts,” Moore said Tuesday. “We’re operating in a sea of black ink, so the fact that this contract is not being fulfilled is not hurting us financially.”

The decision to remove Probst’s name from the center comes two years after settlement of a civil complaint against the enigmatic businessman by the Alliance for the Arts.

After making the initial $250,000 payment on his pledge in late 1994, the largest single donor to the Civic Arts Plaza missed two $175,000 installments, the alliance revealed in 1995. The next year, the group took Probst and his wife, Florence, to court for breach of contract. Under the settlement, Probst agreed to make accelerated payments, which he kept current until April 1997, sources said.

The possibility of removing Probst’s name was debated in closed session for months before the 24-member Alliance for the Arts voted. The unanimous decision came Monday at a meeting attended by 13 board members.

The alliance has no plans to sue Probst again or seek damages, said Bob Lewis, chairman of the nonprofit fund-raising group.

Giving no reason for discontinuing his support of the center, Probst simply stopped sending checks, Lewis said.

Probst could not be located for comment Tuesday. His former attorney, Paul Stansen of Calabasas, did not return calls.

“I don’t think you’ll ever find him,” City Councilwoman Judy Lazar said. “I wouldn’t say he’s reclusive, but he’s certainly not fond of the press.”

Probst reportedly was living in Las Vegas last year. Alliance officials could correspond with him only through attorneys, whom they declined to name Tuesday.

The glistening 2-foot-tall silver letters reading “Charles E. Probst Center for the Performing Arts” will not come down until the alliance confers with the City Council and solicits bids, Chairman Bob Lewis said. Then, in all likelihood, an interim name will be selected for the 1,800-seat theater until another big donor comes forward, Lewis said.

“We could call it the Theater, the Great Hall, the Pavilion--or any number of names to distinguish the facility from the [smaller] Forum Theater,” Lewis said. “Then we’ll just turn around and resell it.”

That is not an alternative everyone finds pleasing. City Councilwoman Elois Zeanah said naming portions of public buildings for major donors strikes her as “distasteful.”

The asking price next time around will most likely be higher than $2 million, Lewis said. A handful of corporate suitors had already expressed interest in “big naming opportunities” before the decision to remove Probst’s name was made.

“We’re always marketing our naming opportunities,” the alliance’s Moore said. “We have $24 million worth of naming opportunities that we’re seeking donors for.”

Board members are optimistic.

“The center does need a name, but this is not the end of the world,” said alliance board member Francisco Behr, who was unable to attend the Monday meeting. “Obviously, we’re unhappy with what happened with this particular donor, but we have an opportunity to rededicate the building and create more good publicity for the facility.”

While arts patrons are disappointed about Probst’s withdrawal, the alliance is in good fiscal shape.

More than 1 million paying customers have attended performances at the Civic Arts Plaza since it opened in 1994. And the alliance recently reached its find-raising goal by depositing $3 million in cash with the Ventura County Community Foundation, capping the operation’s endowment fund. The fund has a market value of more than $4 million.

The group is also current on its annual $250,000 contributions to the city’s theaters enterprise fund.

The intensely private Probst is reputed to have made his fortune in software engineering. He also owned a company that installed and maintained telephone systems.

Probst lived in privileged obscurity until 1994, when his plans to clear native vegetation from the hillside below his 30-bedroom, 11-bathroom manse angered his neighbors in the posh North Ranch part of the city. Probst proposed a mini-jungle of 900 trees and shrubs to replace the sage and chaparral.

After scolding him for scalping his hillside, the city Planning Commission rejected Probst’s quirky landscaping vision. Days before the City Council was set to consider his appeal, Probst offered the Civic Arts Plaza his $2-million gift.

The City Council voted 3 to 2 to overturn the Planning Commission’s decision. It immediately was accused of bending the rules in return for the big donation.

After making the first $250,000 payment to the theater complex in 1994, Probst and his wife, known as Kitty, joined the inside circles of the local arts scene. They also made large contributions to a few political campaigns.

Even so, Probst was a no-show at his own press conference--an event meant to introduce him to the community.

Before selling his estate for much less than the original $18.9-million asking price last year, Probst again rankled neighbors and city officials. This time, he let his odd landscaping wither. He also erected an illegal wrought iron fence around his fortress, only to be forced to tear down a segment of it.

Kate Folmar is a Times staff writer and Jason Takenouchi is a correspondent.