War Memorial Opera House
This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2009) |
Address | 301 Van Ness Avenue San Francisco, California United States |
---|---|
Coordinates | 37°46′43″N 122°25′15″W / 37.7786°N 122.4208°W |
Public transit | |
Owner | San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center |
Type | Opera house |
Capacity | 3,126 seated 200 standing |
Construction | |
Opened | 1932 |
Rebuilt | 1993 |
Architect | Arthur Brown Jr., G. Albert Lansburgh |
Tenants | |
San Francisco Opera, San Francisco Ballet | |
Website | |
sfwarmemorial |
The War Memorial Opera House is an opera house in San Francisco, California, located on the western side of Van Ness Avenue across from the west side/rear facade of the San Francisco City Hall.
It is part of the San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center. It has been the home of the San Francisco Opera since opening night in 1932.
It was the site of the San Francisco Conference, the first assembly of the newly organized United Nations in April 1945.
Architecture
In 1927, $4 million in municipal bonds were issued to finance the design and construction of the first municipally owned opera house in the United States. The architects of the building complex were
Completed in 1932, it employs the classic Roman Doric order in a reserved and sober form appropriate to its function commemorating all those who served in World War I (1914/17–1918). A colonnade of paired columns screens colossal arch-headed windows above a severe rusticated basement, a scheme that was influenced by the severe design of the Louvre Colonnade.
The interior contains a grand entrance hall with a high barrel vaulted and
The theater space is dominated by a massive aluminum and glass panel chandelier under a blue vault, and the proscenium arch is decorated with gilded figurative sculpture. The theater has 3,146 seats plus standing room for 200 behind the orchestra and balcony sections.
History
The San Francisco Symphony performed most of its concerts in the house, from 1932 to 1980.[citation needed]
In spring of 1945, the
During the years of
In 1989, the
- State-of-the-art lighting system – which at the time, made it one of the most extensive and sophisticated systems in the world.
- Replacement of chambers for a never-installed organ with modern restrooms, sorely needed since the original construction. The organ is not needed with the completion of the nearby Davies Symphony Hall.
- An underground extension below the neighboring plaza to accommodate additional dressing rooms and backstage facilities.
Appearances in media
References
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (December 2009) |
- ^ Gamson, Joshua. The Fabulous Sylvester: The Legend, the Music, the Seventies in San Francisco. Reprint edition. New York: Picador, 2006.
Bibliography
- Tilman, Jeffrey T. Arthur Brown Jr.: Progressive Classicist. New York: W.W. Norton, 2006