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 Beaux-Arts style War Memorial Veterans Building and courtyard park, seen fromVan Ness Avenue. | |
  San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center Location within San Francisco County Show map of San Francisco County San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center (California) Show map of California San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center (the United States) Show map of the United States | |
| Address | 401 Van Ness Ave #110 |
|---|---|
| Location | San Francisco,California,United States |
| Coordinates | 37°46′44.83″N122°25′13.64″W / 37.7791194°N 122.4204556°W /37.7791194; -122.4204556 |
| Type | Performing arts center |
| Capacity | totals 7,500 seats |
| Opened | 1920 (1920) |
| Website | |
| sfwarmemorial | |
| Designated | 1977[1] |
| Reference no. | 84 |
TheSan Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center (SFWMPAC) is located inSan Francisco, California. It is one of the largestperforming arts centers in theUnited States. It covers 7.5acres (3hectares) in theCivic Center Historic District, and totals 7,500 seats among its venues.
Opera,symphony,modern andclassical dance,theatre,recitals,plays,lectures,meetings,receptions,special screenings, andgala events all have a place and occur at the Center.
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The complex was developed in the 1920s on two blocks onVan Ness Avenue facingSan Francisco City Hall from the west. The "War Memorial" name commemorates all the people who served in theFirst World War, which ended seven years before the project commenced. It was designed byArthur Brown Jr in 1927-1928, and is one of the lastBeaux-Arts style structures erected in the United States. The project resulted in the construction of a matched pair of buildings across a formal courtyard park: theWar Memorial Opera House; and the multi-purposeVeterans Building next door. Both were completed and opened in 1932.
The upper floors of the Veterans Building housed theSan Francisco Museum of Modern Art (formerly the San Francisco Museum of Art) from 1935 to 1994.[2] In 1980 the newLouise M. Davies Symphony Hall opened, on a site on Van Ness across the sidestreet from the Opera House, as part of the SFWMPAC complex.
The SFWMPAC has historical significance. On June 26, 1945, theUnited Nations Charter was signed in the Veterans Building'sHerbst Theatre by the group of 50 founding nations, following the two-month-longUnited Nationsconference in the Opera House.
In 1951, thePeace Treaty with Japan (commonly called "Treaty of San Francisco"), formally ending World War II hostilities with Japan, was signed in the Opera House. The Center has been host toU.S. presidents and foreign heads of state. In 1990 the Center was chosen to host the firstGoldman Environmental Prize ceremony, and this prize is now presented annually at the Center.
The following venues make up the San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center—SFWMPAC:
TheWar Memorial Opera House, or the Opera House, with 3,146 seats, was built in 1932 as part of the original War Memorial Building. It has been the home of theSan Francisco Opera since 1932, as well as theSan Francisco Ballet.
Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall opened in 1980 and, with 2,743 seats, is the major symphony hall of the city. It has been the home of theSan Francisco Symphony since its opening.[3]
Harold L. Zellerbach Rehearsal Hall is located at the corner of Franklin and Hayes streets, and is directly adjacent to Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall. Zellerbach Rehearsal Hall consists of three rehearsal facilities, which can be used for a multitude of rehearsal purposes and movie shoots.[4] Herbst Theatre is housed in the Veterans building as homage to the War Memorial Opera House.
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