To Garnier’s surprise, Haussmann allowed architects to surpass the height limitation for the avenue’s buildings by more than 5 meters. While Garnier started the construction, Haussmann began piercing Avenue de l’Opéra. The Emperor’s Pavilion is the only element that breaks the symmetry of the structure, with a carriage ramp – Source : – CC0 Indeed, the Emperor’s pavilion is complimented with a ramp for the Emperor’s carriages. It is nice to note that the Emperor’s pavilion is the only element of the building to disrupt the otherwise perfect symmetry. The Eastern pavilion was to be used by subscribers, while the Western one was for the Emperor. He then added, to both sides of the rectangle, small pavilions. Indeed, Garnier modelled the double columns system of his Opera on the Louvre architecture.
If you have been visiting Paris for a while, you may note some similarities between the main façade of Palais Garnier and the Louvre Grand Colonnade (East façade). The main façade would be the general public entrance. He first decided to create a main building shaped as a rectangle, with the main façade facing south, slightly wider than the new Avenue de l’Opéra.
It was also required that the new building had three distinct entrances: one for the Emperor and his family, one for the Opera’s main subscribers, and one for the general public.Īt last, the project was given a deadline: the Opera should have to be completed by 1867, the year when Paris was to organize a World Expo during which it well intended on showing that the city was better than London, its great rival.Ĭharles Garnier had a project that very well suited the imposed specification. If you look at a map, the lot has not changed since this time, and you can clearly see that the Opera sits on a diamond-shaped piece of land– which was quite difficult to use since the main façade had to be facing the south tip of the diamond, in order to face the Louvre. The specification of the new Opera House was rather strict.įirst of all, the lot to build it was imposed by Haussmann and extremely unpractical. Charles Garnier photographed by Antoine Samuel Adam-Salomon – Source : Public Domain, Wikimedia Commonsĭue to the expectations and to the fact that the new Opera House would have to fit in the newly designed Haussmannian Paris, the construction would be closely overseen by the Emperor himself, and by Haussmann.
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