ESSA Paris: Palais Garnier

At the Opéra Garnier, or Palais Garnier, what immediately drew my attention was its ornament, scale, and site within Paris. Though the front facade was undergoing restoration and was obscured by scaffolding, it was a beautifully and intricately ornate building, perhaps even the point of bordering on gaudiness. Amalgamations of various ornamental styles and architectural styles adorn the opera house inside and out. Its scale was also awe-inspiring. Such a large building leaves a lasting impression due to its size alone. It was also situated in a prestigious, middle-class neighborhood within Paris which I believe contributes to its cultural importance.

After the rise of Napoleon, the importance and power of the wealthy, upper-class nobility waned in favor of the still relatively wealthy but "low-born" middle class. Just as Napoleon sought to reinforce his claim to legitimacy with monumental architecture, the middle class sought art, class, and culture (e.g. opera) previously unavailable to them. The Palais Garnier was a "palace" meant to pander to what Napoleon saw as the rising political power within Paris. 

Buildings like these contributing to a whole city's status as a "cultural capital" have to do with "richness." The Palais Garnier is rich in both history and cultural impact for the above reasons; it both marked and contributed to a hugely impactful shift in power from the aristocracy to the middle class. This shift in power has had ripples to this day in areas from civic government to the establishment of art museums as we know them today, and this transition in Paris was marked by buildings like the Palais Garnier.