The remains of the Royal Opera House and all other remains now found elsewhere from the site

The Royal Opera House was built between 1861 and 1866 on the design of Edward Middleton Barry and was considered as one of the best examples of local Neo-Classical architecture.

The Maltese sculptor Salvatore Dimech executed much of the decorative sculpture. The front portico and colonnaded sides and rear elevation were reminiscent of a classical temple.

However, the massiveness, vigour and floridity of the building were typical Neo-Classical. The exposed masonry building was raised on a podium to compensate for the sloping site, creating a terrace on the front.

The interior was destroyed by fire in 1873, and was subsequently remodelled by Webster Paulson and E. L. Galizia and reopened in 1877. The Royal Opera House was hit by a parachute mine during the World War II which destroyed the roof and the foyer and damaged the interior. Instead of rebuilding the damaged parts, most of the surviving parts were dismantled/demolished, and only the podium with stairs and the underlying shops and part of the elevation on South Street were retained. The podium is in local hard stone and is lavishly decorated with sculpture and rustication, while the upper parts were in local soft stone.

The site chosen for the Opera House was close to the city gate, possibly to create a dramatic structure that would stand out on entering Valletta from the main gate.

Mepa scheduled the surviving masonry of the Royal Opera House and all other remains now found elsewhere as a Grade 2 national monument as per Government Notice number 276/08 in the Government Gazette dated March 28.