A vast glass roof crowns the Grand Palais, whose steel, stone, and glass were assembled for Paris’s 1900 World’s Fair. The building has repeatedly adapted to new exhibitions and public events, while its monumental nave keeps the original ambition in view.
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The glass roof makes the Grand Palais feel unusually open for a building of this scale. Its combination of iron, stone, and glass was part of the architectural statement made for the 1900 World’s Fair, when the palace opened to the public. Construction had begun only three years earlier, an ambitious deadline for a monumental complex.
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UpgradeQuick facts
- The Grand Palais opened for the 1900 World’s Fair.
- Construction began in 1897, with three years allowed for the project.
- It served as a military hospital and rehabilitation center during World War I.
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