The Louvre

Catherine de Medici, J. A. du Cerceau II, Claude Perrault, and many others contributed to the design of the massive Louvre in Paris, France.

Constructed of cut stone, the Louvre is a masterpiece of the French Renaissance. Architect Pierre Lescot was one of the first to apply pure classical ideas in France, and his design for a new wing at the Louvre defined its future development.

With each new addition, under each new ruler, the Palace-turned-museum continued to make history. Its distinctive double-pitched mansard roof inspired the design of many eighteenth century buildings in Paris and throughout Europe and the United States.

Sino-American architect Ieoh Ming Pei stirred great controversy when he designed a stark glass pyramid to serve as an entrance to the museum. Pei's glass pyramid was completed in 1989.

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