San Francisco War Memorial Opera House San Francisco, California The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake caused major damage to the historic San Francisco War Memorial Opera House, a beaux arts structure that opened in 1932. The resulting seismic retrofit, which shut down the House for the 1996 Season, provided an opportunity to bring the antiquated theatrical systems up-to-date. Auerbach + Associates (now Auerbach Pollock Friedlander) oversaw the renovation of the technical infrastructure of the War Memorial Opera House, including the design and development of new stage lighting systems, backstage communications and sound systems, and stage rigging and controls that serve both the Opera and the Ballet. Several of the systems, including the lighting control system and the automated rigging system, break new ground in theatre technology. Auerbach + Glasow (now Auerbach Glasow French), the architectural lighting design division of Auerbach + Associates, designed the renovation of the main chandelier and other auditorium lighting elements. Awards: The California Preservation Society, Honor Award, 1998 The National Trust for Historic Preservation, National Preservation Award, 1998 Client: Committee to Restore the Opera House (CROH) Architect: San Francisco Dept. of Public Works, Bureau of Architecture Acoustics Consultant: Paoletti and Associates Photography: Robert Canfield