THE GREAT GREENHOUSES, NATIONAL MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY, PARIS

The Grandes Serres (Great Greenhouses) of the Jardin des Plantes in Paris are an example
of 19th-century greenhouse architecture, combining both aesthetic beauty and technological
innovation.
The greenhouses are primarily constructed from iron and glass, typical of the 19th century’s
engineering feats, where these materials allowed for vast, open interiors with minimal structural
support.

The Grande Serre, the largest and most prominent of the greenhouses, it features a tall, central
nave flanked by two lower aisles, resembling the layout of a basilica or a grand train station from
the same era.