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Close view of the main entrance, depicting freestanding entry arch; The Canadian Carlos Ott was selected by President François Mitterrand from six finalists out of 756 entries for the new Opéra (1983) in Paris; the number of competitors, one of the highest ever, confirmed the popularity of the competition system. Located at the Place de la Bastille, in the 12th arrondissement, the house was designed with 2,723 seats, every one of which has an unrestricted view of the stage. The theatre, was "surmounted by the opaque cube of the stage building and wrapped in gridded walls of glass...... the Opera stands sociably open to the world outside, whereas the foyers, with their broad overview of the city, have the slick, impersonal look of an airport lounge". Beauvert also describes the theatre's backstage facilities as being extremely modern, allowing for nine times the volume of the stage and the ability to roll entire sets off and on intact. However, compared to other world-class opera houses, the acoustics have been described as disappointing at best. Source: Wikipedia; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page (accessed 12/2/2007)