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In 1845 Baltard was tasked with building Les Halles. In 1853, two years into construction, Napoléon III visited the site and was appalled to discover the monumental masonry façade Baltard planned to erect. The emperor demanded a complete rethink, with a clearer and more legible design, in keeping with prevailing styles in Britain. The great pavilions were completed in 1870 and operated without alteration for almost exactly a century. Only one building has survived, with its characteristic metal structure and masonry cladding. Reassembled in Nogent sur Marne, it now serves as an arts venue. But the legend of these huge buildings, and all that went on there, lives on as a tribute to how the project fitted into Haussmann's redesigned city.
The photo shows a view of Les Halles from the church Saint-Eustache.
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