Palais Garnier - Theaters and Workshops - Opéra national de Paris

14 JANUARY 1858

Attack on the Emperor

While Napoleon III was on his way to the Opéra, then located on the street Le Peletier, Italian anarchists working for Felice Orsini threw bombs into the crowd. The very next day, the Emperor decided to build a new opera house.

1860

An international competition is organised

An international competition was organised for the construction of the Imperial Academy of Music and Dance. 171 architects entered the competition. Among all the candidates, the unknown Charles Garnier who was then 35 won the competition on 30 May 1861.

1862

In the spring, Charles Garnier had the groundwater drained by steam pumps, which ran day and night for five months. On 21 July, the first stone was laid by the Minister of Fine Arts.

1863

The foundations, vaults and cellars were erected. By the end of the year, the building had reached the first floor.

1864-1865

In December 1864, most of the works for the vaults, the vestibules of the main staircase and the walls of the secondary staircases were completed. The monolithic columns were placed on the façade, topped by capitals and friezes. In 1865, the building had reached half its final height.

1866

Charles Garnier built the stage and drew up plans for the machinery and gas lighting. Carpenters, painters and glaziers arrived on site as sculptors began their work on the façade.

1867

The structural work was completed and the scaffolding taken down. In August, the façade was unveiled to the public.

1868-1869

Decorative work began. The Opera was entrusted to the teams of painters and sculptors.

1870

The Siege of Paris forced Charles Garnier to interrupt the construction. The Opera was requisitioned and transformed into a hospital and then military supply shops. When Napoleon III was overthrown, Charles Garnier was asked to remove the Emperor's emblems and numbers from the building.

1871-1873

In 1871, the Opera was occupied by the Fédérés. Some restoration work was carried out in 1872, before the construction could resume. During the night of 28 to 29 October, the Opera on the street Le Peletier was destroyed by fire. Work on the new Opera was accelerated.

1875

On 5 January, the new Paris Opera was inaugurated a year ahead of schedule (though the Emperor's entrance, the gallery and the salon du glacier remained unfinished). Costs amounted to just over thirty-five million gold francs.