Vienna State Opera
The opera house was the first major building on the Vienna Ringstrasse commissioned by the Viennese "city expansion fund". Work commenced on the house in 1861 and was completed in 1869, following plans drawn up by architects August Sicard von Sicardsburg and Eduard van der Nüll. It was built in the Neo-Renaissance style by the renowned Czech architect and contractor Josef Hlávka.
Latvian National Opera
The National Opera House was constructed in 1863 by the St. Petersburg architect Ludwig Bohnstedt (interiors made by the firm of August Volz), for the then German-speaking City Theatre, and has been refurbished several times; 1882–1887 (following a fire in 1882), 1957–1958, 1991–1995 (following independence). A modern annex was added in 2001 with a 300-seat New Hall.