10 min
APPROX DURATION
“War Memorial Opera House”
You’re looking at where the 1945 United Nations Conference officially started and ended. President Truman himself gazed upon this building too—the War Memorial Opera House. He delivered the closing address. 80 years ago, on June 25th, 1945, the U.N. Charter was finalized right here during the closing session. This was a required meeting for everyone involved with the conference. Everyone attended, including President Harry S. Truman.
That should hint towards why they used the opera house as a primary meeting place, even if it seems odd: it was one of the only places in the city where so many people could gather in the same room.
50 founding nations doesn’t mean there were only 50 attendees. The most important meetings and ones that called for many attendees were both handled here. The opening and closing sessions, but also many debates over the course of the conference. Once the text of the U.N. Charter was unanimously finalized, it went over to Herbst Theatre in the neighboring Veterans Building the following day, June 26th, 1945, to be signed.
The War Memorial Opera House itself has an interesting history that began before the United Nations. It first opened in 1932, and the name is a dedication to those who served in WWI. The gorgeous pillars, archways, and brickwork you’ve been seeing were designed by Arthur Brown Jr. and G. Albert Lansburgh. They made a dream team—Arthur Brown Jr. is the same architect who designed the San Francisco City Hall across the street, and G. Albert Lansburgh was a credible theater architect with at least one already in SF at the time. As you take in the War Memorial Opera House, maybe you’ll agree their previous experience shines through.
The image here is picturing the 10th Anniversary of the United Nations signing of the Charter, celebrated at the Opera House. General view of the crow that attended the session waiting for the speech to be delivered by President Eisenhower. Photo date 06/20/55. Photo United Press. Photo from SF History Center Archives at the San Francisco Public Library.
Of course, the War Memorial Opera House always functioned as an opera house. The San Francisco Opera Company was established back in 1923 and toured around the west coast, but the second the War Memorial Opera House opened in 1932, they became permanent residents. Since then, this building has helped live music thrive in San Francisco. Many say music is the universal language—maybe it’s no coincidence the U.N. Charter was finally agreed upon here, in 1945.
made possible with support of the following partnerships for the goals (SDG 17):
