5/5 Andrey N. 3 years ago on Google
An
architectural
transformation
of
a
former
railway
station
into
a
museum
known
for
its
Impressionist
paintings.
Situated
on
the
Left
Bank
of
the
River
Seine,
the
Gare
d’Orsay
was
built
in
1900
to
cater
to
the
huge
influx
of
visitors
expected
at
the
Paris
Exposition
in
the
same
year.
It
was
the
world’s
first
all-electric
rail
terminal;
because
there
was
no
steam
circulating
within,
the
architect,
Victor
Laloux,
was
able
to
house
the
station
in
a
huge
enclosed
vault
of
iron
and
glass.
Sadly,
the
station
had
a
limited
lifespan,
as
its
platforms
were
short,
and
by
1939,
it
was
only
running
suburban
services.
The
threat
of
closure
loomed
large.
There
were
plans
to
demolish
the
building
and
erect
a
hotel
in
its
place.
However,
building
permission
was
denied
due
to
a
public
outcry,
and
the
station
was
placed
on
the
Inventory
of
Historical
Monuments
in
1973.
A
new
lease
of
life.
While
the
station
lay
empty,
it
was
used
as
a
car
lot,
a
film
set,
an
auction
house,
and
a
theater.
By
the
late
1970s,
work
on
its
transformation
to
a
museum
was
underway.
An
architectural
firm,
ACT
Architecture,
transformed
the
building,
while
the
Italian
architect
and
designer
Gae
Aulenti
created
the
new
interior.
The
museum
was
laid
out
on
three
levels.
The
great
hall
contains
the
central
nave
and
the
terraces
on
the
mezzanine,
which
open
out
into
further
galleries
at
the
side.
The
top
level
was
installed
above
the
lobby.
The
various
levels
were
connected
by
glass
walkways
behind
the
main
clock.
Key
features,
such
as
the
iconic
clocks,
were
retained,
while
others
were
revamped.
The
decorative
rosettes
in
the
vault,
for
example,
were
turned
into
air-conditioning
vents,
while
the
station’s
former
buffet
has
become
a
bookstore.
The
museum,
which
opened
to
the
public
in
December
1986,
focuses
on
artworks
from
1848
to
1914,
one
of
the
most
fertile
periods
in
French
culture.
Uniquely,
it
encompasses
all
branches
of
the
arts—painting,
sculpture,
photography,
architecture,
and
the
decorative
arts.