If things weren’t complicated enough already, the floor vent in between and under the seating also needed to be documented. In order for the plans of the new seating arrangement to work, there would first have to be an understanding of the current seating conditions. Using traditional measuring and documenting methods couldn’t possibly record the detail in these conditions in an accurate or reliable manner. In addition to the unique floor structure, the opera house has over 1000 seats with a slightly different orientation depending on the aisle. In order for the building to be ADA compliant, documenting the floor conditions was critical. Certain areas of this floor have slopes that transition into steps and some of these steps have become gradual slopes. The 10,000 square feet of the first floor has a floor with different slopes. Documenting and modeling the different floor slopes, seating, and floor vents present in the opera house was going to be challenging. The Challenge– The beauty that comes with the greatest works of architecture does not come easy and neither would this. In addition to these necessary repairs, plans were made for the first-floor auditorium to undergo a new seating arrangement and a few other general upgrades. The unparalleled architectural design firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM) was hired in 1992 to oversee the rebuilding and repair process. When disaster struck in 1989, the opera house was severely damaged by the powerful Loma Prieta earthquake. The San Francisco War Memorial Opera House is also one of the last Beax-Arts/Classical Revival style structures built in the entire country. Construction of the site began in 1927 funded by municipal bonds, making it the first municipally owned opera house in all of the United States. In 1932, the San Francisco War Memorial Opera House opened its doors for the first time at the San Francisco Performing Arts Center.