Construction of the new Avenue de l'Opéra in Paris with the half-demolished houses of the old streets, presumably around 1877. The boulevard was one of the major projects of the city redesign of Paris by the prefect Haussmann.
In the background one can see the Opéra Garnier.

Until the demolition of the former houses, the neighborhood between the Louvre and Grands Boulevards was characterized by blocks of narrow streets that were considered dirty and unhealthy. The project had been planned already in 1854, paused with the fall of the Second Empire in 1870 but resumed in 1876.

The street is today one of the most beautiful boulevards of Paris and very popular with tourists. Here you will find many travel agencies, souvenir shops and banks.