PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release:                                                               

Contact: 415-713-2181

November 10, 2010                                                                         

CITY AND THE SAN FRANCISCO OPERA ANNOUNCE PARTNERSHIP TO IMPROVE 

HISTORIC VETERANS MEMORIAL BUILDING

San Francisco, CA- The City and County of San Francisco and the San Francisco Opera Association announce a public and private partnership that will preserve and make improvements to the War Memorial Veterans Building. The partnership includes a plan to seismically retrofit the building and construct 9,500 square feet of event/rehearsal space for performers of the Opera and other community groups.

“This innovative new partnership renews our commitment to our veterans while creating an exciting new venue that will generate new revenue for the City," said Mayor Newsom. "We are preserving vital space for veteran service organizations and consolidating the Opera’s rehearsal, production, and administrative offices in the War Memorial building to the benefit of all San Francisco taxpayers."

The San Francisco Opera Association is partnering with the City to build three new event/rehearsal facilities on the fourth floor of the War Memorial Veterans Building. The San Francisco Opera Association provides performances at its headquarters in the War Memorial Opera House next to the Veterans Building. The San Francisco Opera, which hosts 70 performances and 250,000 patrons every year, lacks sufficient space for its rehearsals, storage and costume preparation, and rents facilities in various parts of the city for rehearsal and the storage of costumes. As new tenants of the Veterans facility, the Opera Company will invest $15-20 million in renovations. San Francisco philanthropist Diane (Dede) Wilsey pledged $5 million to kick-off this capital improvement campaign. The new event/rehearsal space will also be available for community group meetings, rehearsals and other performances when not in use by the Company.



“San Francisco Opera has reached an agreement with the City to move forward with a plan for the renovation and upgrade of the Veterans Building’s fourth floor in lieu of our original plan to create an annex to the building,” said San Francisco Opera General Director David Gockley.  “In order to operate more efficiently, the Opera needs to consolidate its rehearsal, production, and administrative offices on the War Memorial campus. This partnership is a win-win for the Company, our patrons and performers, and for the community.”

In addition to the Opera’s investment, the San Francisco Department of Public Works and the War Memorial, will lead the planning, design and construction of the seismic retrofit and improvements to the Veterans Building. The capital project will begin this fall with construction starting in spring 2013. The facility is slated for completion in spring 2015. The project will include improvements to the Herbst Theatre, new space for artist warm-ups, and new accessible dressing rooms.

"This opportunity allows Public Works to continue to preserve and make critical improvements to the Veterans Building, an important historic icon in San Francisco," said Edward Reiskin, Director of the Department of Public Works. "This partnership will provide a safe and functional facility for the patrons and the performers of the performing arts and San Francisco’s veterans. In addition, this work will provide savings in the form of energy efficiency and other operational costs over the short and long term."

The Veterans Building located in the heart of Civic Center at 401 Van Ness Avenue was built in 1932 and is the birth place of the United Nations. This building, managed by the War Memorial Board of Trustees, was identified as a priority under the City’s Ten-year Capital Plan. The Veterans Building houses facilities for San Francisco Veterans and the Herbst Theatre, which hosts more than 280 performances and 150,000 patrons every year. The building has not had any major upgrades since its construction and does not meet current seismic, building, and accessibility codes. 

“The War Memorial Veterans Building is one of the beaux arts masterpieces in Civic Center and is of singular historic importance as the birthplace of the United Nations.  This public/private partnership will rehabilitate, restore and revitalize this important building for all San Franciscans,” said Beth Murray, Managing Director of the War Memorial.

The work scope includes energy efficiency upgrades with the replacement of inefficient fixtures and equipment from the 1930s, and upgrades to the facility's electrical and utility systems designed to comply with current building codes made to modernize the facility, provide a safe environment for tenants and patrons, and provide accessibility. These will be completed in accordance to the City’s LEED Green Building standards. This project will be managed by a team of professional engineers, architects, and project managers under the direction of Fuad Sweiss, City Engineer.

DPW is responsible for the care and maintenance of San Francisco’s streets and much of its infrastructure. The department cleans and resurfaces streets; plants and maintains City street trees; designs, constructs and maintains city-owned facilities; inspects streets and sidewalks; constructs curb ramps; removes graffiti from public property; and partners with the diverse neighborhoods in San Francisco to provide stellar cleaning and greening services. For more information, visit www.sfdpw.org

The Ten-year Capital Plan is guided by the Capital Planning Committee, chaired by the City Administrator and made up of the directors from all of the major capital departments, the Mayor’s Office, the President of the Board of Supervisors, the Controller, and the Planning Director. It oversees the development of the City’s $26 billion Capital Plan and makes recommendations to the Mayor and Board of Supervisors on capital expenditures. For more information, visit www.onesanfrancisco.org.

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