The Opéra Garnier is redoing its facade but remains open to the public

The Palais Garnier, which is both a historic monument and one of the two stages of the Paris Opera, will restore its main facade until the end of 2024, for 7.2 million euros, according to a press release released Monday, February 20. The palace will remain open throughout the works which will begin in April.

The facade, which overlooks the avenue de l’Opéra, has not been visible for several weeks, due to the erection of scaffolding and the preparation of the site. She “suffers from pollution, significant thermal shocks and wear of materials that have led to structural disorders”, specifies the Opera, considering that the works are necessary “to guarantee the durability of the monument and the safety of people, for the coming decades”.

Historical monument since 1923

In addition to cleaning, depollution and lead removal, the work includes, among other things, the restoration of the gilding, sculpted elements and sculptures as well as the gilding of the grilles of the peristyle, the lettering, busts and capitals. An anti-pigeon protection system will also be installed.

Built by the architect Charles Garnier, the palace was inaugurated in 1875 and classified as a historical monument in 1923; numerous repair and compliance works have been carried out there since then. The cost of the work will be “financed by the advertising display on the tarpaulin of the facade”, specifies the Opera, which is subsidized to the tune of 95.3 million euros per year, according to figures for 2019. The Palais Garnier welcomes nearly a million visitors and offers some 200 shows per year, operas, ballets and concerts, the statement said.