Grand Palais

The Grand Palais was built in just three years for the 1900 exhibition. Recent development with concrete made it possible to build large structures quickly. Don’t be mislead by the concrete façade. Glass and steel are the main components of the Grand Palais. More steel was used for this monument than for the Eiffel tower!

In 1960, the state commissioned architect Le Corbusier to design a new museum for modern art. Le Corbusier wanted to tear down the Grand Palais and replace it with the new museum project! Five years later, the architect passed away, the plan fell through and the Grand Palais was spared demolition.

Eventually, Paris got itself the Beaubourg museum of modern art. It’s a good thing the Grand Palais survived, though, it would have been very interesting to see what Le Corbusier would have designed...