The Garnier Opera

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Description

In 1861, Charles Garnier's project was selected for its "rare and superior qualities in the beautiful distribution of the plans, the monumental and characteristic aspect of the facades and sections." The Palais Garnier is a building of exceptional opulence. The style is monumental and considered typically Beaux-Arts, with its use of axial symmetry, exterior ornamentation, polychrome columns, marble friezes, and lavish statuary. During the Second Empire of Napoleon III, Garnier was constrained by the dictates of Georges Haussman as he redesigned Paris in preparation for the World's Fair of 1867. The unfinished Garnier Opera suffered under the Paris Commune until it was re-inaugurated in 1875. Since then, the splendid opera house spawned tales of falling chandeliers and Phantom of the Opera legends.