Pabellón París, Historical monument in Estación Central, Chile.
Pabellón París is a square two-story iron, steel and zinc pavilion measuring 10 by 10 metres, with a glazed central dome and four smaller domes at the corners. Its low plinth and entrance pillars follow classical lines, while the ironwork of the pillars, stair railings and upper floor carries asymmetrical Art Nouveau ornament. Stained glass and plaster and cement decoration complete the structure.
The structure was built in France in 1889 for the Paris Universal Exhibition and later dismantled and shipped overseas. It was reconstructed in Santiago by 1894, where it has remained since.
Since 1992 the building has housed the Museo Artequin, an art museum for children and school groups. Its name combines "arte" and "quin" (from "quinta", as the site was the Quinta Normal). The museum offers guided visits and workshops in the former exhibition hall.
The pavilion is located at Avenida Portales 3530 in Santiago and operates as a museum with regular opening hours. Visitors should be aware that it sits within the historic train station area, allowing for exploration of surrounding landmarks.
The pavilion's ironwork was made to be taken apart: after the 1889 Paris exhibition it was dismantled, shipped to Valparaíso and reassembled in Santiago in 1894. The Paris exhibition journal described its finish as a dull polychromy and its installation as mediocre, noting it would become a museum in the Quinta Normal.
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