Structures / War Memorial Opera House

• Pregnoff & Matheu
• Structus Consulting Engineers

• Michael Pregnoff
• Christopher H. Snyder

The innovative employment of viscous dampers and restoration techniques allowed the City of San Francisco to increase the seismic resistance and preserve historical components of the registered landmark while maintaining its collection of Beaux-Arts structures in the Civic Center District.

The War Memorial Opera House is one of two prominent structures within the War Memorial and Performing Arts Complex in San Francisco’s Civic Center.  The vaulted and coffered ceilings, state-of-the-art lighting and equipment, and 3,200 seats provide a world-class setting in which opera, ballet, and theater performances are offered.  The 250,000 square foot facility was originally constructed with steel frames and reinforced concrete wall infills.  The Opera House sustained considerable damage during the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake and was retrofitted with the help of public and private funding in 1997.  The upgrades included a 10,000 square foot subterranean addition, construction of viscous dampers to pre-Northridge moment frames and supplemental shear walls.

• California Preservation Foundation Restoration Award (1997)
• National Trust for Historic Preservation National Award (1998)

• Opening Night Opera:"Tosca" w/ Claudia Muzio soprano.
• Home to the San Francisco Symphony prior to the construction of Davies Symphony Hall.
• Host to the drafting of the charter of the United Nations on June 25, 1945.

• 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake

• San Francisco Public Works
• Noe Hill
• Structus Consulting Engineers
• United States History
• New York Times