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The structural system is made of masonry walls concealed iron floors, vaults, and roofs.
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The building is 154.9 metres (508 ft) long 70.2 metres (230 ft) wide at the lateral galleries 101.2 metres (332 ft) wide at the east and west pavilions 10.13 metres (33.2 ft) from ground level to bottom of the cistern under the stage. The Palais Garnier is 56 metres (184 ft) from ground level to the apex of the stage flytower 32 metres (105 ft) to the top of the facade.
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It was the primary theatre of the Paris Opera and its associated Paris Opera Ballet until 1989, when a new opera house, the Opéra Bastille, opened at the Place de la Bastille. Initially referred to as le nouvel Opéra de Paris (the new Paris Opera), it soon became known as the Palais Garnier, "in acknowledgment of its extraordinary opulence" and the architect Charles Garnier's plans and designs, which are representative of the Napoleon III style. It was built for the Paris Opera from 1861 to 1875 at the behest of Emperor Napoleon III. The Palais Garnier ( French: ( listen), Garnier Palace), also known as Opéra Garnier ( French: ( listen), Garnier Opera), is a 1,979-seat opera house at the Place de l'Opéra in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, France.
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