Photograph of the Demolition of the Crystal Palace, 1936 Essay

Photograph of the Demolition of the Crystal Palace, 1936 The Crystal Palace designed by Joseph Paxton stood for eighty-five years. It succumbed to fire "at six o'clock on the evening of 30th November 1936" (Beaver, 141). A fire was discovered in the staff lavatory, and within minutes the whole structure was ablaze. The spectacular building was engulfed in fire as it dissolved into just a skeleton of its former structure. Paxton used innovative methods of construction on the Crystal Palace, greatly influenced by the bridge and train shed construction of the day. With the introduction of iron elements, architects could be more creative, and more "modern" with their designs, straying from classical precedents. Paxton, with engineers Fox and Henderson, "created what amounted to a giant greenhouse, which was fabricated of little more then panes of glass and iron-and-wood framework" (Hyman & Trachtenberg, 482). It was predicted that the building would require a staggering amount of new materials: "900,000 square feet of glass," "3,300 iron columns; 2,224 girders; and 205 miles of sashbars" (Hobhouse, 39). The use of standardized, prefabricated materials helped to revolutionize architectural methods, prompting other designers to follow Paxton's lead. The Galerie des Machines and the Eiffel Tower built for the Paris 1889 Fair both implemented the light, airy method of iron construction. The grand exhibition building was constructed out of prefabricated elements that were easily erected and could be disassembled when the exhibition was over. The Crystal Palace was first built in Hyde Park, the site of the Great Exhibition of 1851, where it stood for one year. After the fair, it was decided that the building would be taken down and... ...ew of the sculptures added by Paxton and Cole to decorate the park (Beaver, 146). Thanks to personal photographs and private collections such as that of the University of Maryland we are able to get a glimpse of an architectural and social icon. Works Cited Beaver, Patrick. The Crystal Palace, 1851-1936: a portrait of Victorian enterprise. London, Hugh Evelyn Ltd., 1970. Cowper, Charles. The building erected in Hyde Park for the Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations, 1851. London: Victoria and Albert Museum. 1972. Hobhouse, Christopher. 1851 and the Crystal Palace; being an account of the Great Exhibition and its contents; of Sir Joseph Paxton; and the erection, the subsequent history and the destruction of his masterpiece. London, Murray, 1950. Hyman, Isabelle; Trachtenberg, Marvin. Architecture. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, Inc. 1986.