English: When architects Otto Dietze and Johann Daniel Felsko redesigned the centre of Riga in 1856, they chose one of the most exposed and significant spots in town for the new theatre: it was to be erected near the city's canal, on the grounds of the former bastion of the city's fortifications. In 1860, the design by architect Ludwig Bohnstedt was deemed the best of all for Riga's new theatre. The building was opened in 1863. The great fire of 1882 destroyed the major part of the building. Riga's chief architect Reinholds Schmaeling was in charge of the reconstruction Project which strictly followed Bohnstedt's original design. The reconstruction, along with several improvements, was completed in 1887.