Architect(s) of the 1895 Saigon Opera House
Dublin Core
Title
Architect(s) of the 1895 Saigon Opera House
Subject
Who was the architect(s) of the third and final architectural version of 1895, completed in 1900, of the building that is now known as the Saigon Opera House in contemporary Ho Chi Minh City? (see illustrations)
There are two answers: Joseph-Victor Guichard (Wright 1991, 185) or the trio consisting of Eugène Ferret, Félix Olivier, and Ernest Guichard (Doling 2015, 4) where there is a varying emphasis on all three names or one over the others (Ninh & Dovert 1998, 108; Corfield 2013, 225).
It is interesting how many, if not all, online resources (mostly websites) in both English and Vietnamese follow Tim Doling's narrative. However, since these websites do not have clear citations, the information regarding the building's architect(s) is thus best seen in a cautious light.
References:
Corfield, Justin. 2013. Historical Dictionary of Ho Chi Minh City. London: Anthem Press.
Doling, Tim. 2015. "Old Saigon Building of the Week – Saigon Municipal Theatre, 1900". HISTORIC VIETNAM. Last modified March 16, 2015 (19 March 2022).
Ninh, Le Quang & Dovert, Stéphane. 2018. Saigon: Architectures, 1698–1998. Ho Chi Minh City: Nha Xuat Ban Thanh Pho Ho Chi Minh.
Wright, Gwendolyn. 1991. "Indochina: The Folly of Grandeur". In The Politics of Design in French Colonial Urbanism. Illinois: University of Chicago Press.
There are two answers: Joseph-Victor Guichard (Wright 1991, 185) or the trio consisting of Eugène Ferret, Félix Olivier, and Ernest Guichard (Doling 2015, 4) where there is a varying emphasis on all three names or one over the others (Ninh & Dovert 1998, 108; Corfield 2013, 225).
It is interesting how many, if not all, online resources (mostly websites) in both English and Vietnamese follow Tim Doling's narrative. However, since these websites do not have clear citations, the information regarding the building's architect(s) is thus best seen in a cautious light.
References:
Corfield, Justin. 2013. Historical Dictionary of Ho Chi Minh City. London: Anthem Press.
Doling, Tim. 2015. "Old Saigon Building of the Week – Saigon Municipal Theatre, 1900". HISTORIC VIETNAM. Last modified March 16, 2015 (19 March 2022).
Ninh, Le Quang & Dovert, Stéphane. 2018. Saigon: Architectures, 1698–1998. Ho Chi Minh City: Nha Xuat Ban Thanh Pho Ho Chi Minh.
Wright, Gwendolyn. 1991. "Indochina: The Folly of Grandeur". In The Politics of Design in French Colonial Urbanism. Illinois: University of Chicago Press.
Creator
Phan Thi Minh Anh
Citation
Phan Thi Minh Anh, “Architect(s) of the 1895 Saigon Opera House,” Augustus in Saigon!?, accessed December 23, 2024, https://augustusinsaigon.uni-trier.de/items/show/90.