Odesa Philharmonic Theater
The Odesa Philharmonic Theatre is a theater in Odesa, Ukraine. The design resembles the Doge's Palace in Venice.
History
The foundation stone for the theater was laid 3 September 1894, a day after the centennial of the founding of Odesa. The building was intended as the new stock exchange, or "New Exchange" to replace the old stock exchange, and the vast hall was decorated with six panels by the artist Nikolay Karazin which depict commerce throughout various stages of history.Like the Odesa Opera Theater before it, a world competition was announced for a conceptual design of a new Odesa stock exchange. The design of Czech architect V.J. Prohaska was considered the best. But this design did not meet all of the requirements, therefore it was modified and improved by Alexander Bernardazzi.
Construction was completed in 1898. Since 1924, the building has housed the Odesa Philharmonic.
The theatre was damaged in a Russian missile attack during the Russian invasion of Ukraine on 31 January 2025.
Construction
The theater can seat 1,000 people and is 15 meters high and 910 square meters. The large hall has no supporting columns, and because of this, it was one of the most expensive buildings in Odesa to build.The main entrance is by a large open-sided, roofed gallery, called a loggia. The ceiling of this open entry is painted with the twelve symbols of the Zodiac.
The interior is paneled with dark Lebanese cedar, and the windows are set in white Carrara marble.