Winterland Ballroom

A San Francisco music venue where The Doors performed.

Winterland, originally an ice-skating rink and later known as Winterland Arena and Winterland Ballroom, was a music venue in San Francisco operational from 1928 to 1979. Built at the corner of Post Street and Steiner Street, it was used for music events from 1966 onward, when concert promoter Bill Graham began renting it for concerts, and it remained a music venue until its closure in 1979. The Doors are listed among the various popular rock acts that played there.

Quick Facts

Location: 2000 Post Street at Steiner Street, San Francisco, California
Opened: June 29, 1928
Renovated: 1971 (Converted exclusively to music venue)
Closed: December 31, 1978
Demolished: late 1985
Owner: Bill Graham (1971–1978)
Capacity: 5,400 (1971–1978)

Lore & Background

Winterland Ballroom stands as a key stop for rock acts in San Francisco, with The Doors among the many bands that played there. The venue's history includes its use as a music venue starting in 1966, when Bill Graham began renting it for larger concerts on September 23, 1966. The building itself had a capacity of 5,400 and hosted a wide range of performers from the 1960s and 1970s. For The Doors, Winterland represented a major venue on the West Coast, where they joined a roster that included Jefferson Airplane, the Grateful Dead, and many others. The venue's atmosphere, shaped by its earlier life as a skating rink and its later role as a rock palace, provided a unique setting for performances that often pushed beyond standard setlists.

Reader's Guide

It mentions that Bill Graham began renting the venue for larger concerts on September 23, 1966, with Jefferson Airplane and the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, and that after closing the Fillmore West in 1971, he held regular weekend shows at Winterland. The Doors are listed among the acts that played there, but no setlists, notable incidents, or audience reactions are given.

Did You Know?

Winterland opened on June 29, 1928, as an ice-skating rink under the name Winterland.
The building cost $1 million to build, equivalent to $18.8 million in 2025.
The venue was demolished in 1985 and replaced by apartments.