The Civic Opera House is a 3,563 seat venue, making it the second-largest opera auditorium in North America. It was originally built for the Chicago Civic Opera, but today is the permanent home of the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Its excellent design allows for perfect sightlines from every seat and top-class acoustics. The Lyric Opera of Chicago bought the space it was renting and the venue underwent a major renovation in 1993, which was completed in 1996.