the diane b. wilsey center for opera proposal
DESCRIPTION
Capital Campaign Propsal for San Francisco OperaTRANSCRIPT
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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