L’Opéra Garnier

 

L’Opéra Garnier

 L’Opéra Garnier is a 2,200 seat opera house that was built to replace the Théâtre de Académiques Royale de Musque that was burned in 1873.    L’ Opéra was commissioned by Emperor Napoleon III in 1858 and designed by architect Charles Garnier.   This opera house was built to promote French opera in Paris.  Construction started in 1862 and was not completed until 1975 because of several setbacks. An underground lake was discovered that delayed the construction.  Also, the Franco-Prussian War as well as the Fall of the Second French Empire delayed the process.   This building was issues as storage for food during the Paris Commune.  Today, the underground lake is one of the famous features of this opera house.    This is one of the largest theatres in the world by acreage.   It is 172 meter long, 125 meter wide and it reaches a height of 73, 6 meter.   This Opera is the setting of Gaston Lerouy’s classic 1910 Gothic noel, The Phantom of the Opera.