C A P I T A L C A M P A I G N P R O P O S A L 1

THE DIANE B. WILSEY CENTER FOR OPERA

CAPITAL CAMPAIGN PROPOSAL

SAN FRANCISCO OPERA: 2015

4 0 1 V A N N E S S A V E N U E

S A N F R A N C I S C O , C A 9 4 1 0 2

C A P I T A L C A M P A I G N P R O P O S A L 2

CASE STATEMENT

San Francisco Opera’s production shops and administrative offices

currently operate in seven venues scattered across San Francisco, called “an

unholy archipelago” by General Director David Gockley. The Diane B. Wilsey

Center for Opera will consolidate all Company functions, excluding the Scene

Shop, onto one War Memorial campus, eliminating our need for expensive and

inconvenient spaces throughout the City.

The Center will be the first major addition to the Opera’s plant since the

1980 “patch” on the back side of the Opera House, and it is the only source of

reasonably priced additional space available to the Company in the foreseeable

future. The unified location will create opportunities for collaboration and

teamwork that our current isolated facilities do not support. Also, the creation

of the Company’s first public archive of documents, artifacts, photographs, and

audiovisual materials will encourage study of opera as an art form and of San

Francisco Opera as an integral part of the history of opera in the United States.

In addition to the conveniences this move affords, The Wilsey Center

for Opera will save San Francisco Opera well over $1 million in annual operating

costs, allowing the Company to better focus its resources on artistic work

onstage and in the community.

MISSION

To present opera

performances of the

highest international

quality available to

the widest possible

audience

To perpetuate and

enrich the operatic

art form

To be creative and

innovative in all

aspects of opera

To take a leadership

role in training, arts

education, and

audience

development

C A P I T A L C A M P A I G N P R O P O S A L 3

THE DI ANE B. WILSEY CENTER FOR OPERA

The creation of The Wilsey Center for Opera will take place while the

Veterans Building is undergoing a two-year seismic retrofit funded by the City

of San Francisco’s capital improvement fund, starting in July 2013. Thus, the

Center will benefit from new elevators, restrooms, HVAC and lighting, as well

as the restoration of skylights and numerous original architectural details

covered up or removed over the years, which are all included in the scope of

the City’s project. Spaces accommodating veterans’ activities will also receive

redesign and modernization and a new public gallery for the San Francisco

Arts Commission will be created.

The Diane B. Wilsey Center for Opera will add over 55,000 square

feet to San Francisco Opera’s facilities on the War Memorial Campus, enabling

the Company to centralize functions that are currently spread across seven

different venues throughout the City. Approximately 11,000 square feet will

be dedicated to discreet offices, work stations, and meeting rooms. These

areas, featuring arched ceilings and skylights, will accommodate all staff

currently located at our Ivy Street satellite offices and allow for modest

expansion in the future. And the proximity to the Opera House will enable

more effective and efficient communication and collaboration across all

departments. In addition, 10,000 square feet of storage and fitting rooms will

be created in the basement of the Veterans Building.

ABOVE: Sketch of the view from the performance lobby to the Atrium Theater RIGHT: Artist rendering of the Atrium Theater

C A P I T A L C A M P A I G N P R O P O S A L 4

THE ATRIUM THEATER

The centerpiece of The Wilsey Center for Opera will be the 9,000

square-foot Atrium Theater, a fully-equipped 300-seat flexible space that can

accommodate chamber opera, recitals, chorus and staging rehearsals, large

social events, exhibits, panel discussions, and more.

For public events, patrons will be carried from street level in the

Veterans Building’s Van Ness foyer to the theater’s outside corridor via the

new public elevators. They will enter a richly decorated vaulted foyer that

leads into the performing area, where seating can be arranged in at least five

different configurations. State-of-the-art sound, lighting, and imaging

equipment will permit sophisticated theatrical presentations. Dressing rooms,

control perches, and storage will also be included in the design. The Atrium

Theater will be shared with the City, so it will be available for rent to other

organizations when not being utilized by San Francisco Opera.

THE COSTUME SHOP

The west end of the Fourth Floor will house the 5,500-square-foot

costume shop, one of the most sophisticated and skilled in the opera world.

Locating the shop in the Center saves approximately $500,000 per year in rent

and support expenses, making it the single-most valuable component of the

complex, in terms of new cost efficiencies. With fitting rooms in the basement

of the Veterans Building and the close proximity to the Opera House, this

move will also improve productivity for our costume staff, which will be

spending less time traveling between venues.

ABOVE: Costume Shop display LEFT: Rendering of the Atrium Theater

The Center will feature the following named facilities:

C A P I T A L C A M P A I G N P R O P O S A L 5

Occupying a former San Francisco Museum of Modern Art gallery,

the 3,000 square-foot Education Studio will be one of two spaces shared

with the City, available for rent to other organizations when the Opera

does not require it. A towering, concave glass wall at the entrance on the

north side will be fitted with blinds to allow for privacy and light control.

The Studio will also be equipped with the latest in audio and video

equipment to accommodate a diverse array of activities, including:

Orchestra and staging rehearsals

Master classes, lectures, and other educational and community

events

Banquets and other donor events

Board meetings

Exhibits

As the Company’s first-ever dedicated space to be used for

education purposes, the Education Studio is a vital part of the design of The

Wilsey Center for Opera.

THE EDUCATION STUDIO

THE PUBLIC ARCHIVE

The Public Archive will occupy the northeast corner of the Fourth

Floor. It will include an elegant reading room for scholars, students, and the

general public to access a host of previously unorganized and unavailable

documents, artifacts, photographs, and audiovisual collateral, which should

generate interest in the history of opera and this great Company.

TOP: Rending of the Education Studio ABOVE: Opera ARIA session with teachers and students; rendering of the Public Archive

C A P I T A L C A M P A I G N P R O P O S A L 6

The main entry to The Wilsey Center for Opera will be a foyer off of

McAllister Street featuring vaulted ceilings. A dedicated elevator will carry

passengers directly to the Fourth Floor reception area for convenient access.

THE McALLISTER FOYER

CONFERENCE ROOMS

Two discrete conference rooms will be included in the Fourth Floor

layout to accommodate departmental staff meetings and events.

TOP: Rendering of one of the conference rooms ABOVE: Rendering of the McAllister Foyer; rendering of one of the galleries

NORTH & SOUTH GALLERIES

Two spacious hallways with vaulted ceilings will extend east and west

along both sides of the Atrium Theater, serving as attractive galleries for

selected archival photographs and special exhibits throughout the year.

C A P I T A L C A M P A I G N P R O P O S A L 7

While there are numerous tangible benefits to The Diane B. Wilsey

Center for Opera, the greater value may indeed be intangible:

The unified campus location will enhance a spirit of teamwork and

belonging that is impossible in the Company’s current plant

configuration

The consolidation of all Opera functions onto one campus will provide

opportunities for even more memorable patron experiences, such as

the ability to view galleries of historical photos, visit the Costume Shop,

research their favorite recording, and potentially meet with Adler

Fellows and Company members without ever having to step foot off of

the War Memorial Complex

By designing numerous spaces specifically for community access, the

Company will be able to increase its presence as an educational and

artistic destination within in the community

BUILDING COMMUNITY

A HISTORIC OPPORTUNITY

The Diane B. Wilsey Center for Opera will be the first major

addition to San Francisco Opera’s plant since the 1980 “patch” addition on

the back side of the War Memorial Opera House. The Veterans Building

option represents the only source of reasonably priced additional space

available to the Company in the foreseeable future.

And the development of the Center goes hand-in-hand with the

closing of the scene shop and the sale of its location on Indiana Street. Each

initiative will yield significant fiscal advantages to the Company.

The cost of the design and construction of the Center is estimated

at $19 million, to be funded entirely by private gifts, with 95% of the

funding needing to be committed and “in hand” by the end of calendar

year 2014.

A $5 million lead naming gift has been pledged by Diane B. Wilsey.

In addition, the Hume family has pledged a $1 million gift for the North

Gallery.

“I am convinced that

this is the most

elegant and efficient

way the needs of the

Opera can be met for

the next fifty years.”

- D a v id G o c k l ey

GENERAL DI RECTO R’S

CORNER

ABOVE: Sketch of the Public Archive lobby

C A P I T A L C A M P A I G N P R O P O S A L 8

GENERAL DI RECTO R’S

CORNER

ATRIUM THEATER

$5,000,000

Name: Donor Name Atrium Theater

COSTUM E SHOP (fully funded)

$3,000,000

EDUC ATION STUDIO (fully funded)

$3,000,000

M cALLISTER FOYER

$1,000,000

Name: Donor Name Foyer

OPER A ARCHIVES (fully funded)

$1,000,000

NORTH & SOUTH GALLERIES (North Gallery fully funded)

$1,000,000 each

Name: Donor Name South Gallery

CONFERENCE ROOMS (2)

$500,000 each

Name: Donor Name Opera Conference Room

BUILDER’S CIRCLE

$250,000

Name on commemorative plaque

Additional giving opportunities are available and will be further defined as the project

continues to take shape. Naming gifts are being sought through the end of calendar year 2014.

“Creating this

wonderful asset is the

most significant

physical addition to

San Francisco Opera’s

facilities in a half-

century, and it will be

our generation’s most

important legacy to the

Company. Please

consider supporting

this vital effort.”

- D a v id G o c k l ey

FUNDING LEVELS &

NAMING OPPORTUNIT IES

C A P I T A L C A M P A I G N P R O P O S A L 9

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