Zénith Paris

The Zénith Paris was originally designed to be a temporary structure. When it opened in 1984, the plan was to dismantle the metal-framed concert hall after just three years of service. Its immediate and massive popularity as a venue for rock and popular music forced a change in plans, and it remains a permanent fixture of the Parisian landscape four decades later. The building's name is a nod to a historic hot air balloon named Le Zénith, which took flight from the site when it was home to the La Villette gasworks back in 1875.