Architectural Wonders - The Louvre Pyramid

ARCHITECTURAL WONDERS - THE LOUVRE PYRAMIDBy Kenny Slaught

When foreigners think of the architecture of Paris, they are inevitably drawn to the Eiffel Tower, one of the most iconic structures ever built. However, the city is also home to other great works, including daring dwellings like Fallingwater.

These installations are not always met with universal acclaim, of course, and indeed, the Eiffel Tower was once castigated as a gauche intrusion on Paris' elegance.

Luckily, the passage of time helps once-shocking structures blend into everyday life, but some of the world's best architecture, such as the Louvre Pyramid, manage to remain surprising for years after construction.

Located in the courtyard of what may arguably be the most important art museum in the world, the Louvre Pyramid is astoundingly out of place.

Designed by Ieoh Ming Pei and completed in 1989, the structure was the object of frequent criticism before construction even began.

Designed by Ieoh Ming Pei and completed in 1989, the structure was the object of frequent criticism before construction even began.

Today, it serves as one of the Louvre's most beloved attractions, in part because it has lost none of its controversial power as a modern intrusion on the world of classical beauty.

THE LOUVRE BEFORE THE PYRAMID

Long before it became the Musée du Louvre, the site was home to a fortress, built under the rule of Philip II to protect the capital's western border. All that remains of this 12th-century fort is some preserved masonry in the Louvre's Lower Hall.

The building’s present design can be attributed to its time spent as a royal residence for Francis I, who razed the original fortress in the 1500s to build a grand Renaissance-style palace.

Francis' patronage of Leonardo da Vinci and other notable artists started a tradition of architectural and artistic innovation at the site.

After the French Revolution, the Louvre took on its present role as a museum. Its first exhibition took place on August 10, 1793.

In the 20th century, the Louvre quickly became the centerpiece of the growing tourism industry in Paris, and by the 1980s, President François Mitterrand called for "Grand Projects" to improve the museum's infrastructure.

The main building was extended, but its courtyard, previously little more than a parking lot, was quickly targeted by the Éstablissement Public du Grand Louvre (EPGL) as an excellent space for creating a new basement-level reception area. In 1983, the EPGL selected Pei, who had received acclaim for previous work in Washington, D.C., and Boston.

THE PYRAMID RISES

In many respects, Pei's design was eminently practical, as it called for an underground passageway that allowed visitors to quickly travel to any of the Louvre's three wings.

The controversial aspect was what sat above the reception area: an astounding glass and steel pyramid. Despite criticism, the Pyramid opened to the public in 1989.

The Pyramid's 95 metric tons of steel and 603 panes of St.-Gobains glass create a stark contrast with the grand classical architecture of the Louvre itself.

Although the 21-meter high pyramid garners the most attention, most of the $1 billion "Grand Louvre" project is focused underground, with 650,000 square feet of storage space, educational facilities, and shops, among other spaces.

The Pyramid sits above the Hall Napoleon, a grand entranceway, though Pei included a few smaller pyramids scattered around the courtyard, the most famous of which featured in Dan Brown's novel The DaVinci Code.

PARIS REACTS

Pei's Pyramid was bitterly denounced by many critics, both in Paris and abroad.

Even a favorable review in the New York Times pointed out the awkwardness of the smaller pyramids and the incongruousness of an unused central column.

However, most commentators were less interested in specifics and more dedicated to criticizing the entire project, a hyper-modern geometric form intruding on one of Paris' most beloved landmarks. Indeed, some spat that its construction was a “despotic" or "sacrilegious" act.

Over time, Paris grew accustomed to the Pyramid, and it stands today as one of the major attractions at the Louvre.

The critics have mostly fallen away, and in their place are appreciative museum attendees and happy Parisians.

Pei himself earned considerable praise from his peers; In 1991, France’s Comité Colbert honored him with its First Award for Excellence.

THE PYRAMID TODAY

Nearly a quarter century after the Pyramid was completed, the number of visitors has risen to nearly 10 million per year.

In 2013, a new Pyramid Project was launched in order to handle the traffic issues caused by an ever-increasing number of visitors.

The new project, which will be finished in 2017, will include a complete reorganization of interior spaces under the Pyramid in order to manage the flow of people.