If you knew this place as Copley Symphony Hall, you have the right building. It sits at Seventh Avenue and B Street, it has been the San Diego Symphony's indoor home since 1985, and it reopened on September 28, 2024, as Jacobs Music Center after a renovation that took the hall down to its bones.
Fox, then Copley, then Jacobs
The Fox Theatre opened here on November 8, 1929, a movie palace designed by the firm Weeks and Day. The Gildred family sold it in 1980, and the screen went dark for the first time. In 1984, with the whole block up for sale, the symphony struck a deal that kept the Fox in its hands, and the theatre reopened as Symphony Hall on November 2, 1985. Symphony Towers went up on the rest of the block and was finished in 1989.
A large gift from Helen Copley helped the orchestra pay off its mortgage, and the hall took her name. Later the whole block was named for Joan and Irwin Jacobs, and the Jacobs name is the one on the building.
Inside the hall
The $125 million renovation reshaped the stage and added a choral terrace behind it. The hall holds up to about 1,835 people across the main floor, the balcony and that terrace, and a full Robert Morton pipe organ is built into the room.
Most nights belong to the orchestra. Expect the Jacobs Masterworks classical series, jazz nights, concerts for kids, and touring acts booked into the hall. They show up on our classical and blues and jazz pages. The symphony's other home is The Rady Shell on the bay, where it spends much of the summer.
Getting there
The Fifth Avenue Trolley station on C Street, served by the Blue and Orange lines, is a few blocks away. Drivers have five garages within a few blocks to choose from, according to the symphony, and valet is offered on some concert nights. Anyone using a wheelchair should come in through the B Street entrance.
Before the concert
- Jacobs Masterworks concerts admit children five and older. Other concerts admit ages two and up.
- There is no coat check, so bring only the layer you are happy to hold.
- Drinks need lids inside, and outside food and drink are not allowed.
- Your ticket has start times and entry details for the night.
The San Diego Civic Theatre is four blocks west on B Street, and House of Blues is a few blocks southwest. Every other room in the core is on our downtown page.