What did the original Globe Theatre look like from the outside?

The original Globe Theatre was a 20-sided polygonal structure that appeared nearly circular to the eye. Standing over 30 feet (9 meters) high, the building featured three levels of galleries.1

From the outside, the structure had an estimated diameter of 99 feet (30 meters). Audience members accessed the theater through two narrow passageways that led into the yard or via two external stair towers that provided entry to the rear of the galleries. The galleries were topped with a roof, while the central yard remained open to the elements. The building's design was influenced by the architecture of local bearbaiting and bullbaiting houses, utilizing a scaffold-like arrangement of galleries surrounding a central space.21