Charles Garnier (architect) Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Charles Garnier
Charles Garnier by Nadar, c. 1880
Born	Jean-Louis Charles Garnier (1825-11-06)6 November 1825 Paris, France
Died	3 August 1898(1898-08-03) (aged 72) Paris, France
Nationality	French
Occupation	Architect
Awards	Prix de Rome - 1848

Buildings	Palais Garnier (Paris Opéra) Opéra de Monte-Carlo

Charles Garnier was a famous French architect born on November 6, 1825, in Paris. He is best known for designing the amazing Palais Garnier in Paris, which is also called the Paris Opera House. He also designed the Opéra de Monte-Carlo. Garnier passed away on August 3, 1898.

Early Life of Charles Garnier
Charles Garnier's Education
Designing the Paris Opera House
Other Important Works
Death and Legacy
Works by Charles Garnier
- In France
- Outside France
Images for kids
See also

Early Life of Charles Garnier

Charles Garnier was born in Paris, France. His full name was Jean-Louis Charles Garnier. His father, Jean André Garnier, worked with horse-drawn carriages. Even though Charles came from a simple family, he later preferred to say he was from a different region of France called Sarthe.

Charles Garnier's Education

Charles Garnier started learning architecture at a young age. He became a student at the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris in 1842. This was a very famous art school.

In 1848, when he was 23, he won a big award called the Prix de Rome. This award allowed him to study in Rome, Italy, for several years. While in Rome, he traveled to Greece and other places. He studied ancient buildings, like the Temple of Aphaea in Greece. He was very interested in how these old buildings used different colors.

Later, in 1874, he became a member of the Académie des Beaux-Arts, which is a group of important artists and architects in France.

Designing the Paris Opera House

The beautiful Palais Garnier in Paris.

In 1860, the French Emperor Napoléon III decided that Paris needed a new opera house. The old one was too small and not safe enough. So, a competition was held to find the best design.

Charles Garnier was one of about 170 architects who entered the competition. He was chosen as one of the seven finalists. In the second round, Garnier's design was picked because it was "remarkable" and had a great layout.

Garnier was only 35 years old and not very well known at the time. He started working on the building that would later be named after him: the Palais Garnier. People wondered what style of architecture he was using. He famously said it was in the "Napoleon Trois" style, meaning it was new and unique for the time of Emperor Napoleon III.

Building the opera house took a long time, about 14 years. Early on, workers found an underground stream, which made the ground unstable. It took eight months to pump out the water! Garnier designed a special foundation with double walls and concrete to make sure the building was strong and wouldn't leak.

The construction faced more delays because of wars. During the Siege of Paris (1870–1871) and the Paris Commune in 1871, the unfinished opera house was even used as a warehouse and a military prison.

Finally, the opera house officially opened on January 5, 1875. Many important people, including kings and queens from Europe, came to the opening ceremony.

The building is huge, covering almost 119,000 square feet (11,000 square meters). People were amazed by its size and all the detailed decorations. Some described it as looking like a grand railway station from the outside, but like a fancy Turkish bath inside!

Garnier's style is called Neo-Baroque. It was popular during the Beaux-Arts period in France. He was inspired by Italian Renaissance artists like Andrea Palladio and Michelangelo. He also used new ideas for his time. The opera house was built with a strong frame of metal beams. This was very new then. Using steel and iron made the building much stronger and fireproof, allowing it to hold up all the heavy marble and other materials.

Other Important Works

The beautiful seaside facade of the Monte Carlo Casino Theatre, designed by Garnier.

After the Paris Opera, Garnier continued to design many other buildings. In 1872, he built a vacation home for himself in Italy, called the Villa Garnier. He also designed several other buildings in the town of Bordighera, Italy.

Some of his other famous works include:

The Grand Concert Hall of the Monte Carlo Casino in Monaco (built between 1876 and 1879). This building was later changed and is now the Opéra de Monte-Carlo.
The Nice Astronomical Observatory in France (1879–1888). For this project, he worked with the famous engineer Gustave Eiffel, who designed the Eiffel Tower.
The Panorama Marigny in Paris (1880–1882), which is now the Marigny Theatre.
His last major work was a large storage building for opera sets and costumes in Paris, called the Ateliers Berthier (1894–1895).

A monument dedicated to Charles Garnier at the Palais Garnier.

Death and Legacy

Charles Garnier stopped working on private architectural projects in 1896. However, he still helped judge architectural competitions. He passed away in Paris on August 3, 1898, after suffering two strokes. He was buried in the Montparnasse cemetery in Paris.

After his death, a monument was built in his honor near the Palais Garnier. It was completed in 1902 and features a bust (a sculpture of his head and shoulders) of Garnier.

Works by Charles Garnier

Here are some of the notable buildings Charles Garnier designed:

In France

In Paris:
- Palais Garnier (1861–1875)
- Panorama Marigny (1880–82); later became the Théâtre Marigny
- The Cercle de la Librairie^[fr] (1878–1880)
- Tomb of Jacques Offenbach, cimetière de Montmartre (1880)
- The Ateliers Berthier^[fr] (1894–1898), used for opera sets and costumes.
In other parts of France:
- The casino and thermal baths of Vittel (built 1883–1884)
- Église Sainte-Grimonie (1886) in La Capelle
- The Astronomical Observatory in Nice (1881–1888, with Gustave Eiffel)

Outside France

In Monaco:
- Grand Concert Hall of the Monte Carlo Casino (1876–1879)
- Trente-Quarante Gaming Room of the Monte Carlo Casino (1878–1881)
In Bordighera, Italy:
- Villa Garnier (1872–1873)
- Town hall of Bordighera (1872–1878)
- Villa Bischoffsheim (1876–1880; now Villa Etelinda)
- Church of the Immaculate Conception or Terrasanta (1879–1898)
- Villa Studio (1884; Garnier's studio)