War Memorial Opera House
Designed by Arthur Brown, Jr. in the Beaux-Arts style, the 3,006-seat War Memorial Opera House is a California Historical Landmark and the artistic home of San Francisco Opera and San Francisco Ballet. The Opera House was inaugurated on October 15, 1932 with San Francisco Opera’s performance of Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca under the baton of Gaetano Merola, an event that was broadcast nationally.
The artists who have performed on its stage are as legendary as the building itself. The theater hosts more than 40 performances of at least six operas annually and for over 90 years has been a vibrant enclave of arts, culture, and creativity. It also served as the home of San Francisco Symphony until Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall opened in 1980.
After a 1979 addition to the Franklin Street façade and a complete seismic retrofit in 1996 following the Loma Prieta earthquake, the War Memorial Opera House stands as the centerpiece of the San Francisco War Memorial & Performing Arts Center, one of America’s foremost performing arts campuses. Adjacent to the Opera House is the War Memorial Courtyard and the Veterans Building, the home of multiple performance venues, administrative offices, and the Diane B. Wilsey Center for Opera.
For more information, visit San Francisco War Memorial & Performing Arts Center
