Soundstage 28 at Unviersal Studios was home to the movie set of the Paris Opera House from the classic Phantom of the Opera (1925). It stood there for 90 years, and was the last standing set from any of the classic Universal monster movies, but even more important, it was the OLDEST SURVIVING MOVIE SET IN HISTORY. About a month ago, I started hearing, what I thought were rumors, of Universal’s plans to demolish it to make room for new theme park attractions. I honestly didn’t think it would happen. There were two petitions going (I signed them both) and I’ve always heard the set was protected by the National Register of Historic Places, but that must have been inaccurate. Next thing I know… the set has already been demolished! This news is at least a week old now, but I just felt the need to mention it. It’s unbelievable that film history can be destroyed overnight, like that. I’ve heard rumors that pieces of the set have been removed prior to the demolition and are going to be preserved… somewhere. I’ll believe it when I see the proof. If any of the set has been saved, where are the pictures?
