South San Francisco Opera House
historic place
The South San Francisco Opera House, located in San Francisco, California, was built in 1888. It was constructed by Masonic Lodge No. 212. Architect Henry Geilfuss designed the building, blending Italianate, Gothic, Eastlake, and Stick architectural elements. This structure served as the first cultural building in the Bayview Hunters Point district. It functioned as a social center, hosting dances, rallies, and various theatrical performances like dramas and vaudeville. Despite its name, opera was not typically performed here in its early decades. Over time, the building's uses changed. Community resident Ruth Williams was instrumental in preventing its demolition in the 1950s. In 1995, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors renamed it the Bayview Opera House Ruth Williams Memorial Theater in her honor. Today, known as the Bayview Opera House, it is San Francisco Landmark Number 8 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is reputed to be the oldest existing theater in the city.