Antonio López Aguado and Custodio Moreno designed the opera house, which Ferdinand VII began on April 23, 1818 on the site of the Teatro de los Caños del Peral. A royal order in 1850 demanded immediate completion, and Queen Isabella II inaugurated it on November 19, 1850 with Donizetti's La favorite.
A royal order closed it in December 1925 because Madrid Metro construction had damaged the building. It reopened as a concert hall in 1966, and works for the remodel began in 1991. It reopened as an opera house on October 11, 1997 and has been a Bien de Interés Cultural since June 30, 1993.
The article gives a stage of 15,400 square feet (1,430 m²). Capacity is 1,958 seats, depending on the orchestra pit, and many seats have limited views, so live video is projected on the upper side walls. Daily guided tours cover the stage and workshops.
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