Garnier and his team worked tirelessly throughout 1874 to finish the construction.
It wasn’t until a fire ravaged the entire Salle Le Peletier the temporary home of the Paris Opera in 1873, that Garnier was instructed to finished construction works on the new building as soon as he could. A problem Garnier suggested building a double foundation to deal with, successfully so.Ĭonstruction works went up and down with the changes in the political scene in France. What inspired Gaston Leroux’s famous novel Phantom of the Opera was the existence of what people liked to call a subterranean lake beneath the opera house, when it was actually water wells that refused to dry out. A month after the beginning of the second round, Garnier’s design was chosen as the winner due to its uniqueness of the design of the exterior and interiors and the interesting usage of sculptures in the work.įollowing with his opulent architectural design which he described as representative of Napoleon III, the first foundations were set in 1862 under Garnier’s supervision. However, it wasn’t until the end of 1860 that a design competition for the new building was announced.Ĭharles Garnier was one of the 170 applicants in the design competition, of which 7 only made it to the second phase of the competition.
Since the movement of the Opera de Paris in a temporary building in 1821, the need for the construction of a new building to house the majestic institution arose. Palais Garnier was dubbed a monument historique in 1923. This world renowned opera house dominates Place de l’Opera in Paris’ 9 th arrondissement. France’s most extravagant opera house, the Palais Garnier is considered a symbol of the country along famous landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre and the Notre-Dame du Paris.