War Memorial Opera House
Theater · Hayes Valley, California
The opera house on the west side of Van Ness Avenue, with a 3,006-seat auditorium. It has been home to San Francisco Opera since it opened, and is home to San Francisco Ballet. It is San Francisco Landmark No. 84, designated in 1977, and that designation covers this building and the Veterans Building together on one parcel. The complex is owned and operated by the City and County of San Francisco.
History
The cornerstone was laid on 11 November 1931 and the house opened on 15 October 1932 with Puccini's Tosca, conducted by Gaetano Merola. It housed the San Francisco Symphony until Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall opened in September 1980. Most plenary sessions of the 1945 United Nations Conference took place here. Arthur Brown, Jr. designed the War Memorial buildings and San Francisco City Hall, honouring Daniel Burnham's vision for a unified Civic Center.
Visit
301 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94102
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