Edward Middleton Barry, who also designed the Covent Garden Theatre, designed the opera house. The plan was completed by 1861, site work began in 1862, and it opened on October 9, 1866. The site measured 206 by 112 feet (63 by 34 m), and capacity was 1,295. The article calls the design classic and names no style, client or materials. A terrace was added on the Republic Street side after sloping side streets had been overlooked.
A fire on May 25, 1873 damaged the interior, and it reopened on October 11, 1877 with Verdi's Aida. Luftwaffe bombers destroyed it on April 7, 1942, and the remains were razed in the late 1950s. Rebuilding was repeatedly postponed.
Renzo Piano redesigned the ruins as the open-air Pjazza Teatru Rjal, inaugurated on August 8, 2013.
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