Oh, and don’t forget to look up! That mansard roof would make even Napoleon go weak in the knees… Martin Haesemeyer / Flickr Detail of the mansard roof / Wikipedia The Hall in 1910/ The Library of Congress. The interior’s foyer is almost entirely marble, with accents of mahogany, while the exterior boasts 54 sculptures, all by prominent artists in their day. As with the opera house, the beauty’s in the details here check every vaulted ceiling and quiet corner for embellishments of the past… Most strikingly, there’s that unmistakable double staircase.

It was as if someone had built a portal, on the isle of Manhattan, to the cultural crown jewel of la Capitale… The interior was in fact modelled after the inside of the Paris Opera House, and dazzled New Yorkers when it opened in 1907. Library of Congress / Flickr Surrogates Court, 31 Chambers Street, New York, New York County / Wikipedia

But back then, it was the sparkling titan of the block… The Hall of Records, c. Thomas, with Horgan & Slattery, as part an initiative called “City Beautiful.” Today, it’s a building easily lost amongst the hustle and bustle of downtown Manhattan. Tread carefully, and you too will be able to leaf through the past…Īlso known as “the Surrogate’s Courthouse” (it also contains courtrooms), the Hall was designed in 1899 by John R. Luckily for us, every last detail of their lives has landed here, in the archives of the city’s biggest diary. Turns out, this is the New York City Hall of Records, and as such utterly devoted to the locals who’ve built this city over the past 400 years. Y’know, the one of Phantom of the Opera fame? With a dramatic double staircase made for cape swooshing, cinematic lamp posts and marble for days? Although the Beaux Arts splendour rings affirmative, this building tells a different story – thousands, in fact, including that of the long-standing love affair between the city of light, and the city that never sleeps.

Paris, is that you? All signs would point to yes in this building, a bite sized double if ever there was one for the Opéra Garnier.

Paris opera house original ceiling