formal layouts of flowerbeds, paths, fountains and pavilions, have hardly changed since they were created by architect Jacques Hittorff in 1838. Their heyday was at the end of the 19th and early 20th centuries, when fashionable Parisians would promenade here, including a young Marcel Proust. The gardens were the location for a World Fair held in Paris in 1855, when the Palais de l’Industrie was built. This was replaced by the Grand Palais and the Petit Palais, both of which were built for the Universal Exposition of 1900.
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Located on the Avenue Franklin D. Roosevelt side of the Jardins des Champs-Elysées is the Théâtre du Rond-Point. This small theatre was home to the Renaud-Barrault Company. Established in 1860, it was originally called the Panorama National and later became known as the Palais des Glaces, which was of the Paris’ most popular attractions around 1900. It only became a proper theatre in 1981, when the company that had been using the old Gare d’Orsay were obliged to leave the former railway station to allow it to be converted into a museum.
Completely remodelled and redecorated in 1995, the theatre specialises in modern plays, usually by living playwrights. It also has a small, stylish restaurant that serves an excellent afternoon tea. The plaques on the theatre’s rear door feature Napoleon’s military campaigns.
Sitting just behind the Théâtre du Rond-Point is the vast bulk of the Grand Palais, its entrance is via Porte A on Avenue Général Eisenhower. Built along with the Petit Palais and the Gare (now Musée) d’Orsay for the Universal Exposition of 1900, this imposing glass-roofed exhibition hall has recently been restored. Intended as a monument to the glory of French art, it is still home to major international exhibitions today. Temporary exhibitions are held in the Galerie Nationales du Grand Palais. The Palais also contains a pleasant restaurant. The Palais was designed by Deglane, Louvet and Thomas, and its massive structure combines an imposing Beaux Arts stone façade with beautiful Art Nouveau ironwork. Covering 15,000 square metres (160,000 square feet), the building’s chief glory is the glass-and-iron roof, which is capped by a vast dome. The corners overlooking Avenue Winston Churchill are graced by two dramatic Récipon sculptures: L’Harmonie Triomphant de la Discorde (near the Seine) and L’Immortalité Devançant le Temps (at the Champs-Elysées). Each features a triumphant human figure guiding four horses skyward. The Palais’ façade is also decorated by a 75-metre-long (246 feet) mosaic, Les Grandes Epoques de l’Art by Louis Edouard Fournier.
The Palais de la Découverte is part of the Grand Palais and its entrance is on Avenue Franklin D. Roosevelt. This opened as a separate wing of the Grand Palais at the time of the Universal Exposition in 1937. It is a popular science museum and includes a planetarium.
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