Teatro Municipal, Opera house in historic center, Lima, Peru

Teatro Municipal rises on the fourth block of Jirón Ica in Lima's historic centre, a rusticated stone base of arched doorways and rectangular windows below a projecting balustraded balcony. Behind the balcony, tall arched openings and a rectangular window sit between pilasters, and three busts of Wagner, Beethoven and Liszt adorn the facade. Inside, Ionic columns lead to a lobby reached by two Louis XVI marble staircases.

The Teatro Olimpo stood on the site until its demolition; the Teatro Forero, designed by Manuel María Forero Osorio of Tacna, was built in 1915 and inaugurated on 28 July 1920 with Verdi's Aida by Adolfo Bracale's Italian opera company. Lima's municipality bought it in 1929 and renamed it Teatro Municipal by mayoral resolution of 15 June. A fire on 2 August 1998 destroyed part of the structure; after twelve years it reopened on 11 October 2010.

The theatre's name comes from its 1929 purchase by the Metropolitan Municipality of Lima, which renamed the Forero by mayoral resolution on 15 June of that year. Since 2024 it has had its own permanent ensemble, the Orquesta del Teatro Municipal de Lima, alongside a choir. The open space beside it, the Plazuela de las Artes or Plazuela Rosa Merino, hosts open-air activities.

The theatre stands on the fourth block of Jirón Ica in the historic centre, with the Plazuela de las Artes, also called Plazuela Rosa Merino, beside it for open-air events. The 2010 reconstruction added parking and anti-seismic and fireproofing measures. The building opens only for performances, so check the programme before crossing the centre.

The hall incorporates Italian Renaissance design elements and was equipped in 2010 with modern seismic technology and improved fire protection. These technical upgrades are barely visible within the ornate historic architecture.