Théâtre du Rond-Point

The Théâtre du Rond-Point stands at a prominent corner near the Champs-Élysées, though its current identity as a home for contemporary theater masks its earlier, much colder life. Built in 1860 by architect Gabriel Davioud, the building was originally a rotunda called the Panorama National, designed for displaying massive, immersive paintings. By the end of the nineteenth century, it transformed into the Palais de Glace, or Ice Palace, becoming a premier destination for skating during the Belle Époque. The circular architecture you see today is a direct remnant of those days as a panorama and an ice rink, long before the space was repurposed for the stage in 1981.