The Humble Beginnings

It's the late 19th century and this Romantic stuff is real big. Napoleon III and Georges Haussmann are working on a plan to revitalize the City of Paris. Widen the streets, put in some parks and a new organizational system, and you've got yourself a whole new city. People can mingle in the parks or walk along uncluttered and paved streets. But where else can they go? Sure, playing in the park is fun, but it gets old. Why not build a theatre, or maybe even an opera house? People go there, watch the show, and come back when a new troupe comes to town. It's a whole lot more fun than sitting in the grass all day.

So there's a plan. Build an opera house for people to go and watch other people sing. Maybe include a little space for other artsy stuff such as music and painting, things popular with this new Romanticism thing.

Who should come up with the schematics? The City of Paris holds a contest to decide what the proposed theatre should look like. Charles Garnier, a relatively unknown architect, draws up plans and submits them. His design wins, and work on the Paris Opera House begins in 1862. Slowed by the discovery of an underwater lake and spring, construction presses on until 1875. At that point, it's done. Paris has a new opera house.

At the time, Romanticism greatly influenced European architecture. From England's Crystal Palace to the Parliament, Romantic characteristics such as the revival of Gothic qualities and an emphasis on emotional arts including sculpture and painting show themselves in 19th century design. Funny coincidence that the Opera House was constructed in the late 19th century. As you may have guessed, Romanticism shows up there too.