The Alte Oper (Old Opera) was originally Frankfurt's Opera House. Heavily damaged during WWII, the building was reconstructed and opened as a concert hall in 1981.The Opernhaus as it was called was paid for by Frankfurt citizens and designed by the Berlin architect Richard Lucae. The panther quadriga on the Renaissance-style building recalls the famous Semper Opera House in Dresden.At the time the thirty-four meter tall building featured a large auditorium and a sumptuous staircase, known as the 'Imperial Staircase'. The auditorium could seat more than two thousand people. The Opernhaus officially reopened on August 28, 1981. It was renamed to 'Alte Oper' since Frankfurt had already built a new Opera House in 1951. While the exterior and the lobby were rebuilt faithful to the original, most of the interior is built as a modern multipurpose complex with concert halls and a congress center. The building has several halls including the Grosse Saal with a seating capacity of two 2,500. The Mozart-saal can accommodate another 700 people.