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Key figures

Origin and history

The Berthier Workshops, located at 32 boulevard Berthier in the 17th arrondissement of Paris, were built between 1895 and 1898 by architect Charles Garnier. Originally designed as workshops and decor stores for the Paris Opera, they replaced a previous site destroyed by fire in 1894. The ensemble, organised around a central courtyard, consisted of three separate buildings to limit the risk of fire, as well as a guardhouse. The brick and millstone facades, combined with light metal structures, reflected an innovative industrial approach for the time.

In 1958, two reinforced concrete stores were added to the side buildings. The central building is still a workshop for the Paris Opera. From 1999, the Odeon-Théâtre of Europe invested the western building for its workshops and rehearsals, while the building was home to the setting of the Opéra Comique until 2003. Between 2001 and 2003, the architect Jean-Loup Roubert transformed the store into a room of 395 places, inaugurated with Phèdre de Racine directed by Patrice Chéreau. This room, which became permanent in 2005, can now accommodate 480 spectators.

Ranked historic monuments in 1990, the Berthier Workshops represent Charles Garnier's only preserved industrial work. Their architecture, marked by Polonceau farms and a modular structure, combines functionality and heritage. In 2016, a Cité du théâtre project aimed at bringing together several cultural institutions (Odéon, Comédie-Française, Opéra) was envisaged, but abandoned in 2023. The decor workshops were initially to be transferred to Opéra Bastille, but this plan was cancelled.

Access to the Berthier Workshops is via metro lines 13 and 14 (Porte de Clichy station), the RER C, or the T3b tram. The public entrance for performances is located at 1 rue André Suares. The site thus embodies a heritage, both theatrical, architectural and urban, reflecting the evolution of cultural usages in Paris since the late 19th century.

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