Teatro Baquet
The Teatro Baquet was a theatre located in what is today Rua 31 de Janeiro in the city of Porto, Portugal. It opened in 1859 and was destroyed by fire in 1888, with the loss of 120 lives. Origins The Teatro Baquet was built by António Pereira. Work began on 21 February 1858, and the theatre was first used for a masked Carnival ball on 13 February 1859. Born in Porto, António Pereira emigrated to Spain with his family in 1828, where he learned to be a tailor. In 1836 he married Ignácia Lopez de la Rica. The couple had no children. On his return to Porto, Pereira rapidly established himself as a sought-after tailor. He started using the name "Baquet", possibly because he thought a foreign name would assist him to market his business, and established Casa Baquet, which sold the first ready-to-wear clothing in Porto. Historians are generally agreed that the origin of the "Baquet" name was a visit to Paris in which he was given it as a nickname. The word means “tub” in English. His business prospered and available evidence suggests that Baquet was able to fund the new theatre as the sole investor. The theatre was built in the same street as the Teatro Circo, which became the Teatro do Príncipe Real and is now the Teatro Sá da Bandeira, the oldest theatre in Porto. Some construction difficulties were experienced because the street was much higher than the plot of land owned by Baquet, with the result that the theatre was higher at the back than the front. As a consequence, spectators seated in the stalls had to walk down two ramps to get to their places. Design The façade was designed by Guilherme Correia and was covered entirely in granite from the Porto area. It had a neoclassical design that was similar to several other buildings in the city. The ground floor consisted mainly of doors, while the first floor had a wrought-iron balcony. At the top of the building there were four marble statues representing drama, music, painting and art. The original plan was to have 82 boxes on three floors but width limitations meant that the number had to be reduced to 68. Seating in the stalls was 236, while there was a balcony with a capacity of 178 and a gallery for 200. The second floor was ornamented with the names of leading international writers and composers, as well as the Portuguese poet Luís de Camões, the playwright Gil Vicente, and the poet, playwright and novelist Almeida Garrett. The quality of the seating was said to have "fallen short of expectations" and the acoustics in the upper part of the theatre were also commented on negatively but, in general, the theatre was well received by the media. Performances After the initial opening for Carnival, the theatre remained closed until 16 July 1859, while interior decorations were being completed. After the official opening and first performance on July 16, the theatre had