The Musee D Orsay was one of the the most ornamented (former) Train Stations to ever stand, and contains possibly the greatest collection of Impressionist work, including artists Vincent Van Gogh, Claude Monet, and Gustave Courbet. The Musee D Orsay Is an impressive example of Beaux Arts.
The Station was originally the site of the Palais D Orsay, Which was completed in 1838 and was used for the Court of Accounts, and the State Council, until the structure was burnt in an 1871 civilian upheaval and civil war. For 30 years, the area remained in ruin as a reminder of the horrors of the war, until the late 1890s. In 1897, the French Government ceded the land to the Orleans Railway Company, who originally had a disadvantaged station further outside of the city center at the Gare d Austerlitz. The railway company hired architect Victor Laloux. Who designed the Beaux Arts Train Station in 1898. The station (Gare d Orsay)included a hotel, which wrapped around the metal awning of the station. They were completed in time for the 1900 worlds fair. The stone, from Charente, and Poitou, blended in well with its neighbors. The Station (which was very high tech) was the first Electric train station, contained ramps and elevators for people and luggage, and 16 extra underground tracks. The main terminal was about 105 feet (32 Meters) high, 131 feet (40 meters) wide, and 453 feet (138 meters) long. The Gare d Orsay, which was the only station in the center of Paris, served trains traveling on South Western French lines until 1939, when the Gare d Orsay served only the suburban rail due to the platforms being too short for modern trains. The hotel welcomed many of the guests who traveled to Paris until 1971 even though the station closed many years earlier. The Station itself was used as a mailing center in WWII by the Germans, and later the scene for many movies. The station was designated as a historic landmark in 1973 due to threats to build a hideous looking modern hotel complex, and in 1977 planning of the Musee D Orsay began.
The Musee d Orsay opened in late 1986, and is a stunning work of postmodernism, which was designed by the ACT Architecture group, fits the train station very well. The design makes the terminal the center of the museum, splits the museum up into 3 levels, and contains 2 viewing towers in the back of the station (where this photo was taken from). On Average, the museum receives about 3 million visitors a year, and has received over 60 million since its opening. The Art itself is all from the impressionist period from 1848 to 1850. The building was recently renovated in 2009-11. Lastly, the art and the building interact very well as they are both works of art.
Details:
The glass clock, surrounded by Beaus Arts Quoins, ornamentation, and the words Paris Orleans.
The Detailed crowning on the side which faces Le Sine
The Well ornamented clock in the Main Hall.
The Entrance to the museum
