Château et parc de Rentilly, Heritage château and park in Bussy-Saint-Martin, France

The Château de Rentilly is a long, symmetrical building with pale walls, a dark grey hipped roof and a central projecting bay topped by a triangular pediment. Rebuilt between 1954 and 1957 in Directoire style after a 1944 fire, it was later entirely clad in mirrored glass and stainless steel and now houses a contemporary art centre. It stands at the end of a rectangular pool within a 50-hectare park.

The estate was recognized as both a classified and inscribed natural site, which led to its inclusion in France's inventory of cultural heritage. This designation protects both the architectural and ecological values of the location.

The château has housed a contemporary art centre since 2014, run by the Marne et Gondoire agglomeration community, which has had its headquarters on the estate since 2001. The building's exterior was entirely clad in mirrored glass and stainless steel, a project costing 4.57 million euros. The painter François Flameng completed his portrait of Madame Menier here.

The 50-hectare park lies across Bussy-Saint-Martin and Bussy-Saint-Georges, east of Paris; the château stands at its southern end, in Bussy-Saint-Georges. Paths were cleared and glades laid out from 2003, and the grounds were returned to an English-style layout. Look for the Japanese sophoras, giant sequoias, ginkgo biloba and Japanese maples planted over the centuries.

The château's exterior was entirely covered with mirrored glass and stainless steel in a 2011 project costing 4.57 million euros, replacing the Directoire-style reconstruction of 1954–1957. The Ligue pour la protection des oiseaux called the cladding deadly for birds, and the association Vigilance Marne-et-Gondoire criticised its ecological consequences.