The Bastille Opéra house in Paris, one of the most majestic of François Mitterrand's grand projects, should soon be looking a little more as its architect intended, 15 years after it opened. The Opéra National said yesterday that it was inviting tenders for the multi-million pound job of restoring the facade of the imposing stone and glass structure, opened by the French president in July 1989 - seven years before his death - and which almost immediately started falling to pieces. "It's taken so long to do anything about it because we had to wait for a court judgment about who was responsible," a spokeswoman said. "There's still an appeal pending, but we're confident enough in the judgment to start the renovation process."
