The work was designed by the architect Claudio Francisco Brunet des Baines, And the civil engineer Felipe Augusto Charme de l´Isle,both of French origin and domiciled at Chile.

History of the Municipal Theatre

Panoramic View 360, Frontis Teatro Municipal de Santiago

The building was inaugurated on September 17, 1857, presenting the opera Ernani, interpreted by an Italian company especially hired for the event.
It became later in the cultural and social centre of the Santiago’s aristocracy which started to contribute economically through notable members in the development of spectacles, mainly operas.
A fire that occurred on December 8, 1870, after the ending of the show, destroyed it totally, which made necessary its immediate reconstruction.
The Municipal Theatre was re-inaugurated on July 16, 1873, preserving its original aspect to a large extent. The reconstruction was in charged of a group of architects directed by Lucien Henault.
The new construction suffered again damages by the effect of both an earthquake that happened in 1906 and a minor fire in 1924.
The Municipal Theatre was revived and modernized between the years 1947 and 1952, and between 1958 and 1959.
In the decade of 1950,several important institutions became a part of the Municipal Theatre:The Symphonic Orchestra, in 1955; the Santiago's Cultural Corporation, en 1957, which took the administrative responsibility; The Ballet of Modern Art, in 1959, and the Chorus Filármonico in1962.

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