Timeline

Heritage classified

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, then Inspector General of Civil Buildings. They replaced the Paris Opera decor store, which was destroyed by fire in 1894. The set, designed to avoid the risk of fire, included a central workshop, two symmetrical decor stores, and a guardhouse, all arranged around a courtyard. The brick and millstone facades, as well as the Polonceau firm metal frames, reflected an innovative industrial approach for the time.

In 1958, two new reinforced concrete stores were added to the side buildings. The central building, still used as a workshop for the Opera, saw its use evolve: the Comic Opera stored its decorations there until 2003, while the Odéon-Théâtre de l ́Europe installed workshops and a rehearsal room there from 1999. Between 2001 and 2003, the architect Jean-Loup Roubert transformed the shop into a 395-seat room, inaugurated in 2003 with Phèdre de Racine, directed by Patrice Chéreau. This hall, which became permanent in 2005, now hosts 480 spectators.

Ranked a historic monument in 1990, the Berthier Workshops represent Charles Garnier's only preserved industrial work. Their architecture, adapted to their initial function, combines robustness and modularity. In 2016, a Cité du théâtre project was planned to bring together several institutions (Odéon, Comédie-Française, Opéra, Conservatoire national), but it was abandoned in 2023. Today, the workshops must be repatriated to the Opéra-Bastille, marking the end of their historical use on this site.

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