The Paris Opera House

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The Paris Opera House
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The Paris Opera House

• The Paris Opera House is perhaps one of the
  most beautiful buildings in the world. It
  contains numerous floors, and levels beyond
  levels of cellars, fountains, a lake, chandeliers
  and even its own ghost!

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Origin of the Opera House

• The cause for this new opera house actually
  came from Napoleon III. Napoleon III went to the
  opening of an opera at a nearby opera house, Rue
  Le Peletier. On the way an explosion injured and
  killed 150 people. He attended the performance
  anyway. He decided a new more secure facility
  was needed. However, he was also interested in
  building a new opera house so the world would
  look up to him. He picked out the perfect
  location in the center of Paris.

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Architect

• There was a contest for the best design.
• Charles Garnier was named as the architect.
• 171 people entered
• 700 drawings
• Work began on the opera house in 1861.

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Problems

• They discovered an underground stream.
• Napoleon would not change the location.
• It could not be drained.
• Eight steam pumps worked day and night for 8
  months.
• They finally built a double layer concrete
  foundation and built the building over it.
• They created a lake by damming up the stream.
• It was used for hydraulic stage machinery.

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War

• The Franco/Prussian War broke out in 1869/1870.
• The uncompleted opera house was used mainly as a
  food warehouse, arsenal, military prison, but
  also a communications center and observation
  post.
• Zoo animals were eaten by the rich. The poor ate
  rats, cats and dogs.

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Labyrinth!!
In Garniers design, he created a LABYRINTH in
the bottom few floors of the opera house. This is
a maze consisting of secret passages, narrow
halls, trap doors, staircases, and hidden
rooms. In the story of The Phantom of the Opera,
the Phantom lives in the labyrinth. It is his
lair. The public is not allowed to go into the
labyrinth today.
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The Paris opera house

• It is the largest in the world. ( 3 acres)
• 17 stories high
• 118,500 square feet
• Staff of 1500
• 2500 doors
• 80 dressing rooms
• Stables in basement
• Chandelier weighs 7 tons
• Finally opened in January of 1875.

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Origin of the Building

• Who wanted the opera house built?
• Why did he want to build a new opera house?

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Architect

• How did they determine who would get the job as
  architect?
• Who was selected?
• What made his design unique?

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Problems

• What did they find at the building site?
• What ways did they try to solve the problem?
• What finally worked?
• Why did construction stop?

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War

• Which war broke out in 1870?
• How was the unfinished opera house used?
• What was used as food during the war?

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Opera House

• When did it open?
• How many floors is the opera house?
• How many square feet?
• How many people worked there?
• How many dressing rooms
• How much did the chandelier weigh?

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The Novel

• Gaston Leroux wrote a novel in 1911 based upon
  the story of the opera house
• He was heavily influenced by Edgar Allan Poe
• Novel was a flop in France, but USA loved it.

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Evolution to todays Phantom

• 1923 Universal Studios made it into a silent
  movie
• Lon Chaney was the first to play the Phantom
• Several other versions followed

• 1984 Andrew Lloyd Weber wrote the musical,
  which was released in London and then in the U.S.
• This is what we know today as the famous play.

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Summary of Plot
At the Paris Opera House in France, legend exists
about a ghost living there. Strange occurrences
have left many people afraid. The opera house is
a working theater where many plays are performed.
The phantom turns out to be a musical genius and
befriends a young girl who dreams to be a star.
Her fiancé, however, does not like her
associating with the creature she calls
teacher. Watch for mystery, romance, and
suspense!!