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Presidio Officers' Club Kicks Off Opening Season Events

Events include live music, topical discussions, family activities and more

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Officers Club at the Presidio

​​​​​Presidio of San Francisco (October 7, 2014) – This week, the Presidio Trust will kick off a full lineup of regularly scheduled programming and events at the newly rehabilitated Presidio Officers’ Club. The historic landmark opened to the public on October 4-5 to thousands of visitors and included a celebration with imaginative craft making activities for kids, all-day live music spanning across cultures, including special performances by Oakland’s Grammy award winning Pacific Mambo Orchestra and Lavay Smith and the Red Hot Skillet Lickers and the public opening of Andy Goldsworthy’s newest Presidio installation, Earth Wall.

Starting Thursday, October 9 and continuing through December 2014, the Officers’ Club will feature a robust weekly schedule of events, including live music, topical discussions, and family activities, as well as special events such as swing dance lessons and big band music. Visitors can also dine at Arguello, a new Mexican restaurant by Traci des Jardin, or enjoy one of the bar’s contemporary cocktails. Events are free, open to the public, and sponsored by the Presidio Trust, in partnership with cultural institutions from across the Bay Area.

​​”The Officers’ Club was a place where officers and their families gathered to celebrate and socialize,” said Craig Middleton, Presidio Trust Executive Director. “Now that the Club has reopened, everyone is welcome to enjoy the robust schedule of events that enlighten, engage and entertain.”

​Notably, Friday nights will feature jazz, contemporary and classical music curated by the San Francisco Friends of Chamber Music. The Presidio Sessions will deliver the intimate atmosphere of a house concert to Officers’ Club guests.

​”We are thrilled to partner with the Presidio Trust to bring the best of the Bay Area’s musicians, many internationally recognized, to the Presidio Officers’ Club,” said Dominique Pelletey, San Francisco Friends of Chamber Music Executive Director. “The Moraga Hall performance space is a welcoming and comfortable venue that allows the audience to have a special encounter with the music.”

​​Visitors can enjoy the following line up during the Presidio Officers’ Club opening week:

Presidio Dialogues: 50 Great American Places: Essential Historic Sites across the United States

Thursday, October 9, 7 to 9 pm

In a fascinating preview of​ his forthcoming book, 50 Great American Places, Brent Glass will take us on a journey through time and space to understand the powerful connection between significant places and the richest themes of American history. Dr. Glass directed the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History from 2002 to 2011, and led an $80 million renovation that included a new gallery for the Star-Spangled Banner. His new book will be published by Simon Schuster next year. Featuring Brent D. Glass, Director Emeritus, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution

Presidio Sessions: Alexander String Quartet 

Friday, October 10, 6 to 8 pm 

The Alexander String Quartet, one of the world’s premiere ensembles, is as admired for its interpretations of Beethoven and Mozart as for its music by cutting-edge contemporary composers.

Signature Event: Moraga Hall Dance: The 1930s  

Saturday, October 11, 6:30 to 10 pm

We’re swinging the doors open at the newly renovated Presidio Officers’ Club with Big Band music, dancing, and signature cocktails! Master dance coach/hostess Cynthia Glinka will be your inspiring guide across the dance floor. She will be joined by the renowned San Francisco Jitterbugs and the ten-piece Royal Society Jazz Orchestra featuring vocalist Carla Normand. The Officers’ Club Arguello Restaurant will be offering Jitterbug-worthy appetizers and cocktails. Come kick up your heels with us as we welcome Moraga Hall back in style! Doors open at 6:30 pm for cocktails from Arguello and dance tutorials with Cynthia Glinka. Dancing begins at 7 pm.

To view a full calendar of events, visit: http://www.presidioofficersclub.com/calendar.

About the Presidio Officers’ Club

The Presidio Officers’ Club, the most historic building in San Francisco, is on the site where Spanish settlers established the Presidio of San Francisco. It later served as a gathering place for United States military officers throughout the 20th century. Celebrities of stage and screen were in regular attendance, including Bob Hope, Jack Benny, Veronica Lake, Joan Crawford, and many others. The Presidio Trust recently completed a three-year revitalization of the building, transforming San Francisco’s most historic structure into a multi-faceted cultural destination. The updated Presidio Officers’ Club is a dynamic cultural center that reflects the diversity of the Bay Area, with exhibits and programs that help visitors establish a deep understanding of the Presidio’s vital role in shaping California and the nation.

About the Presidio Trust

The Presidio Trust, a federal agency, is an innovation in the management of a treasured American place. The Trust was created to save the Presidio and transform it for a new national purpose. The Trust’s vision is that the Presidio will be forever a public place: vital to the Bay Area, important to all Americans, and recognized for achieving broad benefits for the nation. Today, the Presidio welcomes visitors, is home to a vibrant community of residents and tenants, and inspires greater good through programs that draw on its history and natural resources. The Presidio Trust serves the public with events, lodging, venues, and recreational opportunities. To learn more, visit ​www.presidio.gov​.

Media Contacts

Lisa Petrie

Presidio Trust

(415) 264-7787

lpetrie@presidiotrust.gov