paris opera house
[1861-1875]
the paris opera house was created from 1861-1875 by the designer charles garnier, who was just thirty-six at the time. he as a designer also won the prix de rome before designing the opera house. the building itself is placed at the intersection of several streets, placing emphasis on it. garnier's design "blends the double columnar colonnade from the louvre with elements from michelangelo's facade on the campidoglio, blending the royal symbolism that would have appealed to napoleon III with the republican symbolism of michalengelo's work." (Ching)
- the front and most decorative facade out of the four entrances was the street entrance.
- made of steel but covered by stone and brick.
one prominent feature of the paris opera house is the grand staircase that is in between the main entrance and the theater. the amount of space it takes up is nearly the size of the theater itself, which puts even more emphasis on it. it was widely used by the opera goers, and going to the opera became not only entertainment, but also a social event. people would be able to have conversations and view other people before and after the opera. it's interesting that the theater takes up just a small part of the building when it is the reason the building exists in the first place.
information and images from:
- ching
- this picture shows the front facade
http://oneshotexhibition.org/blog/?cat=10
- this picture displays the grand staircase
http://www.suilebhan.com/2011/01/12/the-best-seats-in-the-house/
- floor plan
http://humanscribbles.blogspot.com/2010_03_01_archive.html
