Opéra+Garnier

The Opéra Garnier is a 1,979 seat opera house that was built between the years of 1861 and 1875, with the architect being Charles Garnier. Originally, the opera house was called the Salle des Capucines, but soon was renamed the Palais Garnier, which is often interchanged with the Opéra Garnier. It was also given the name Opéra de Paris or simply the Opéra, as it was the primary opera house in Paris, until the Opéra Bastille was built in 1989. The Opéra Garnier has housed many operas and ballets during its long history.

In 1870 and 1871 during the Franco-Prussian War, the construction of the opera house was halted. Since the building had been mostly completed and had many advanced features, it was converted into a hospital and food warehouse. In late 1871, construction resumed on the opera house. During the construction, a rumor began saying that the Opéra Garnier was built on top of a subterranean lake. This rumor was true. During construction, the building needed a deep basement, but the level of ground water was higher than expected. As the water level wouldn’t go down, a double foundation was created to protect the building’s structure from the water below. From the legend of the underground lake, it inspired Gaston Leroux to incorporate the idea into his novel The Phantom of the Opera.

In 2011, a restaurant was built on the opera house’s east side; 136 years after Opéra Garnier itself opened. During the original construction of the Opéra Garnier, a resturaunt was planned. Ultimately, it was never built from budget constraints. Today, many ballets and operas are still performed at the beautiful Opéra Garnier.