San Francisco Opera, War Memorial Opera House

Throughout its history, the San Francisco Opera has presented world premieres, innovative productions, and renowned singers. The company's home, War Memorial Opera House, is a 3,146-seat venue that hosts 10 operas each season. The municipally owned Beaux-Arts structure on Van Ness Avenue opened on October 15, 1932 with a production of Tosca conducted by co-founder Gaetano Merola. The front of the historic building features a colonnade of paired columns similar to Perrault’s east front of the Louvre. Opera-goers enter a grand lobby with a vaulted, coffered ceiling, and the auditorium is highlighted by an aluminum and glass panel chandelier hanging under a blue vault.