Grand Palais

The Grand Palais is a historic site, exhibition hall, and museum complex located on the Champs-Élysées in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France. Construction of the Grand Palais began in 1897 after the demolition of the Palais de l'Industrie (Palace of Industry) in preparation for the Universal Exhibition of 1900. That exhibition also produced the adjacent Petit Palais and Pont Alexandre III. The building was designed to be a large-scale venue for official artistic events. A pediment on the building refers to this function with an inscription that reads, "a monument dedicated by the Republic to the glory of French art." The building was designed in Beaux-Arts style and features ornate stone facades, glass vaults, and period innovations that included iron and light steel framing and reinforced concrete. References