War Memorial Performing Arts Center

A gem in San Francisco’s architectural crown, the War Memorial Opera House was built as a monument to San Francisco’s dead from World War I. One of the City’s most beautiful public buildings, the Opera House played host to two historic events—the drafting of the charter of the United Nations in 1945, and the ceremony where the United States restored Japanese sovereignty in 1951.

Designed by Arthur Brown, Jr. in the American Renaissance style, the 3,146-seat War Memorial Opera House is a California Historical Landmark. The building has been the home of San Francisco Opera since it opened on October 15, 1932 with a performance of Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca.