Just How Badly Did The Bolshoi Need Renovatiing?

After burning down (for the third time) in the 1850s, “the theatre was reopened in time for the coronation of Tsar Alexander II in 1856 – and [had] not been renovated since.” (Filling in the space under the auditorium with concrete in the 1950s did ruin the acoustics, though.) By 2005, “there were fears the building would collapse completely.”