musee-dorsay-1jpgThe rue de Lille was once the central lane of the garden belonging to Henri IV’s famous queen, Marguerite de Valois. When she died in 1615, the property was sold off in lots, and became the private mansions.During the 19th century, between 1810 and 1838 there were two buildings constructed on the site of the future Orsay station: the Cavalry barracks and the Palais d’Orsay.

In 1871, during the Paris Commune the entire neighborhood was burnt down. Nothing was done with the ruins of the Palais d’Orsay until the French government gave the Orleans railroad company the land to build a central terminus station. This was completed in time for the World Fair on July 14th 1900.

From 1900 to 1939, the Gare d’Orsay served as a hotel to numerous travelers as well as being popular with political parties for banquets and meetings. After 1939, the station had become too short to take the longer electrical trains.

During the Second World War the Gare d’Orsay was used as a mailing center for sending packages to prisoners of war, then as a film set and as an auction house.

General de Gaulle held the press conference announcing his return to power in its ballroom (the Salle des Fêtes), and the hotel finally closed its doors on January 1st, 1973,

The station came under consideration for demolition and to be rebuilt as a hotel and it is only the nineteenth century architecture that saved the building which was then listed on the Supplementary Inventory of Historical Monuments on 8th March 1973.

The building was now guaranteed not to be demolished, so in 1975 the Direction des Musées de France considered placing works of art from the second half of the 19th century.

On the 20th of October 1977, there was an official decree to build the Musee d’Orsay as an initiative of President Valery Giscard d”Estaing

In 1978 a civil commission was created to construct the museum and the building was classified a Historical Monument.

The new museum was inaugurated on December 1st 1986 by the President of the Republic, François Mitterrand and finally opened to the public on December 9th.

And what a magnificent job they made of it. The building is as breathtaking as the works of art that it houses.

Filed under: Europe & UK • France • Paris

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