\paperw3360 \margr0\margl0\ATXph16380 \plain \fs20 \pard\tx3255\tx6525\tx9780\ATXts240\ATXbrdr0 \f1 \fs22 Despite its imposing \b \cf4 \ATXht10691000 Classical aspect\b0 \cf0 \ATXht0 , the Royal Opera House is actually a Victorian construction that was built in 1858 on designs by E.M. Barry, son of the architect of the \b \cf4 \ATXht11561000 Houses of Parliament\b0 \cf0 \ATXht0 . His stylistic choice is certainly keeping with the
tradition of European opera houses, many of which were built nearly a century earlier. However, it may also be a reflection of the fact that the site was previously occupied by two other theatres, both of them destroyed by fire. The first was the orig
inal Theatre Royal of 1732, one of the two venues in London where drama could legally be staged.
