Yesterday, Suz and I visited the famous Opera Garnier, which stands so gallantly like a crown at the end of avenue de l’Opera. It was part of the rebuilding of Paris under Napoleon III and carried out by his civil planner, Baron Haussmann (see 2/6/07 blog) who cleared 12,000 square meters of land to build the world-renowned venue for opera and ballet. This was not the first theatre to house the Paris Opera but the thirteenth since it was founded by Louis XIV in 1669.
Charles Garnier, an unknown 35-year-old architect, won the competition to design and build the new building. Legend says that the Emperor’s wife, Empress Eugenie, asked Garnier whether the building would be built in the Greek or Roman style. He replied, “It is in the Napoleon III style, Madame.” Good answer. 
Building work, which lasted fifteen years, was interrupted by various incidents including the Franco-Prussian War, the fall of the Empire, and the Paris Commune, that pesky two-month uprising in 1871. Construction was also hampered by the subterranean lake below the swampy ground (remember the Phantom of the Opera?), which required constant pumping to remove the water. This took at least eight months before the concrete foundation could be laid. Eventually, on January 15, 1875, the masterpiece of marble and gold was inaugurated.
The Palais Garnier consists of 118,404 square feet and a huge stage that can accommodate up to 450 artists. Most famous in the auditorium is the immense crystal chandelier, which weighs over eight tons. This is surrounded on the ceiling with a painting by Marc Chagall (1964); I overheard a tour guide say that it took him four years to paint. As massive as the building is, the Italian-style horseshoe-shaped auditorium seats only 1900 people plus those who sit in the box seats above.
The outside of the building is decorated with many statues, columns, marble friezes, and bronze busts of great composers, like Mozart and Beethoven. The building’s interior is decorated with nymphs and cherubs, gold leaf, lights that look like bouquets, and red velvet. The marble Grand Staircase is one of the most famous features of the building with double stairways leading to the different levels of the
auditorium and richly-decorated foyers for the audience to stroll during intermission. There is also a museum and an impressive library with records of productions held over three centuries (notice Suz in the lower left-hand corner). The Grand Foyer, in all its splendor, reminded us of the Hall of Mirrors in Versailles. In 2000, the main façade was completely renovated and restoration is finishing up now on strengthening the frame and foundation of the building.
We were allowed to peak into the auditorium from one of the box seats while they were working on the stage lighting. The house curtain, which is painted, imitates a draped curtain with gold braid and pompoms. Evidently, they had just finished a rehearsal by the orchestra; all their instruments remained on the stage. 
It is rare that a monument definitively adopts the name of its creator; the Palais Garnier is one of those exceptions. What a beauty!
PS - Supposedly, there are some bee hives somewhere up on the roof; and the honey is sold at the nearby Fauchon store, a mecca for gourmet shoppers.
