Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Olympia is an iconic showroom located 28 boulevard des Capucines, in the 9th arrondissement of Paris. Founded in 1888 by Joseph Oller, an entrepreneur known for creating the Pari Mutuel and the Moulin Rouge, the site was originally a roller coaster attraction. Faced with the fears of fire, Oller demolished the wooden attraction and built a 2,000-seat show hall, inaugurated on April 11, 1893 with stars such as La Goulue, Loïe Fuller and Fregoli. Between 1895 and 1900, a wax museum, the Oller Museum, was installed in its basements, presenting historical and sensational scenes.

From 1898 to 1911, the Isola brothers led Olympia, offering fairground attractions and equestrian performances. In 1911 Jacques Charles created music-hall magazines with artists such as Mistinguett and Yvonne Printemps. During World War I, the room closed temporarily. In the 1920s, Paul Franck introduced more songs, welcoming artists like Fréhel, Damia and Marie Dubas. In 1929, Olympia transformed into a cinema under the name of Théâtre Jacques-Haik, before being occupied by the German and then American armies during the Second World War.

In 1954, Bruno Coquatrix restored to Olympia his vocation of music-hall, modernizing the room and attracting the greatest names in the French and international song: Édith Piaf, Gilbert Bécaud, Johnny Hallyday, the Beatles, and many others. In 1961, Édith Piaf saved Olympia from bankruptcy with a series of memorable concerts. The hall becomes a mythical place, welcoming varied shows, from rock to circus, ballets and operettas. In 1997, the Olympia was rebuilt just a few metres behind its original location, keeping its iconic red hall.

Since 2001, Olympia has been a member of the Vivendi group and then of Canal+ since 2024. The hall, partially classified as historical monuments since 1991 for its woodwork and faiences of the billiard hall, celebrates in 2023 its 130 years of existence. It remains a must place for Parisian culture, a symbol of the evolution of the performing arts in France.

Future

As the Music-Hall has long been threatened with destruction, its reconstruction is made necessary by the total destruction of the building that houses the Olympia, and the planned restructuring at the back of the building with the creation of a square.

The hall and its famous red hall are then rebuilt identically in seven months, back a few meters from the original location, the facade having not been touched, and the new room opens in November 1997 with Gilbert Bécaud. While the backstage has changed a little more, the room and stage have remained almost the same.

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