Bill Graham Civic Auditorium facts for kids
Exterior of venue viewed from the City Hall (c.2008)
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 Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
Location in San Francisco
Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
Location in California
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| Former names | San Francisco Exposition Auditorium (1915) San Francisco Civic Auditorium (1916–1992) |
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| Address | 99 Grove St San Francisco, CA 94102-4720 |
| Location | Civic Center |
| Coordinates | 37°46′42″N 122°25′03″W / 37.778457°N 122.417369°W |
| Public transit |   Civic Center |
| Owner | City and County of San Francisco |
| Operator | Another Planet Entertainment |
| Capacity | 8,500 |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | December 1913 |
| Opened | March 2, 1915 |
| Renovated | 1962–1964, 1989–1990, 1994–1996, 2005, 2010 |
| Construction cost | $1.7 million ($50.3 million in 2022 dollars ) |
| Architect | John Galen Howard, Frederick Meyer, John W. Reid Jr. |
| Tenants | |
| San Francisco Warriors (NBA) (1964–1967) | |
The Bill Graham Civic Auditorium is a large building in San Francisco, California. It's a place where many different events happen, like concerts and sports games. It used to be called the San Francisco Civic Auditorium. The building is named after a famous music promoter named Bill Graham. It can hold up to 8,500 people!
About This Cool Venue
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The Bill Graham Civic Auditorium was built a long time ago, in 1915. It was part of a big fair called the Panama–Pacific International Exposition. Three talented architects, John Galen Howard, Frederick Herman Meyer, and John W. Reid Jr., designed it.
Over the years, many important events have taken place here.
- In 1920, it hosted the 1920 Democratic National Convention. This is where a major political party chose its candidate for president.
- The San Francisco Opera performed here for many years, from 1923 to 1932, and again in 1996.
- In 1948, it held the National AAU boxing trials, where top boxers competed.
- From 1964 to 1967, it was the home court for the San Francisco Warriors basketball team. They are now known as the Golden State Warriors.
- A very important computer demonstration, called the Mother of All Demos, happened here in 1968. It showed off many new computer ideas.
- The World Cyber Games 2004, a big video game competition, also took place at the auditorium.
In 1992, the city decided to rename the building. They chose to honor Bill Graham, a famous person who organized many rock concerts. He had passed away the year before.
Before Bill Graham, another person named James T. Graham (no relation!) managed the auditorium for many years, from 1954 to 1970. He brought in some of the biggest stars of his time.
- Famous singers like Elvis Presley and Judy Garland performed here.
- Music groups such as the Jefferson Airplane, the Mamas and the Papas, and The Temptations also played concerts.
- Jim Graham even signed the San Francisco Warriors to play at the Civic Auditorium when they first moved to San Francisco. They played there for a few seasons before moving to a larger place called the Cow Palace.
Under Jim Graham's leadership, the auditorium hosted all sorts of fun events.
- There were circuses like Barnum & Bailey.
- Exciting sports events like the San Francisco Roller Derby and Golden Gloves Boxing matches.
- Ice shows like Holiday on Ice and the Ice Capades.
- Even car shows and dog shows!
Important political figures also visited.
- President Dwight D. Eisenhower gave a speech here in 1956.
- Senator Robert F. Kennedy attended a fundraising event in 1968, just a few days before he passed away.
The Bill Graham Civic Auditorium is still a very active place today. It is owned by the City and County of San Francisco. Since 2010, a company called Another Planet Entertainment has been in charge of running it.
Amazing Concerts and Shows
The Bill Graham Civic Auditorium has been a stage for countless famous musicians and performers. Many different types of music, from rock to pop to electronic, have filled its halls. Here are just a few examples of the many artists who have performed here:
- The Rolling Stones played here in 1965.
- Prince brought his "Controversy Tour" to the venue in 1982.
- U2 performed several times, including during their "War Tour" in 1983.
- Madonna's "The Virgin Tour" stopped here in 1985.
- Kiss rocked the stage in 1983 and 1988.
- Oasis had concerts here in 1996 and 1998.
- Green Day performed during their "American Idiot World Tour" in 2004.
- Pearl Jam played multiple shows in 2006.
- Lady Gaga brought her "The Monster Ball Tour" in 2009.
- Bruno Mars performed during his "Hooligans in Wondaland Tour" in 2011.
- The Killers were here for their "Battle Born World Tour" in 2013.
- Lana Del Rey performed in 2014.
- Janet Jackson brought her "Unbreakable World Tour" in 2015.
- Dead & Company played multiple shows in 2015.
- The Chainsmokers performed in 2017.
- Shakira brought her "El Dorado World Tour" in 2018.
- Billie Eilish performed during her "When We All Fall Asleep Tour" in 2019.
- Lizzo had concerts here in 2019.
- Olivia Rodrigo performed during her "Sour Tour" in 2022.
- Lil Nas X brought his "Long Live Montero Tour" in 2022.
- Melanie Martinez performed during her "PORTALS Tour" in 2023.
- Aurora is scheduled to perform in November 2024.
- Phish has played many times over the years and has shows scheduled for April 2025.
- BINI is scheduled to perform in June 2025.
See also
In Spanish: Bill Graham Civic Auditorium para niños
- List of convention centers in the United States
- List of tennis stadiums by capacity
