San Francisco Bayview Opera House Completes Renovations

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) – San Francisco's Bayview Opera House marked the completion of renovations to the historic building this weekend with a celebration of the efforts of Habitat for Humanity.

The organization started fixing up the inside and outside of the 124-year-old building in mid-November, part of its new Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative.

"When they first came in here, I said Habitat, don't you build single family homes," said Bayview Opera House Executive Director Barbara Ockel.

KCBS' Anna Duckworth Reports:

But Ockel was told that Habitat was expanding to rehabilitate community facilities in its mission to improve the overall quality of life in neighborhoods.

"It's a wonderful opportunity for us to do what Habitat does very well which is build and to partner with fantastic community-based organizations," said Habitat for Humanity's David Burnett. "Then the organizations can devote their resources to their programming."

The improvements included painting inside and out, painting of the entire exterior fence and the construction of redwood planter boxes that are used in gardening classes for children.

"We had gotten a quote for the paint job before," said Ockel. "It was $30,000 and that's not counting the fence painting and the planter boxes."

The Bayview Opera House was the Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative's first project. It expects to give makeovers to 250 more community buildings and homes by 2020.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)