New York City · 1853New York Crystal PalaceA fireproof iron-and-glass hall burns to the ground in five years. How?An iron-and-glass palace for the 1853 Exhibition of the Industry of All Nations, behind the reservoir on 42nd Street. Destroyed by fire on 5 October 1858.
Photo: Universität Trier · Public domain · via Wikimedia Commons
Same Story, Different City · Munich, Germany
Glaspalast, Munich
The open question
Another glass palace, another fire. Why do they all end the same way?
On the record
Built by MAN for the first German Industrial Exhibition, opened 15 July 1854. Destroyed by arson in 1931.
- Year
- 1854
- Kind
- Temporary
- The story told
- Built by MAN for the first German Industrial Exhibition, opened 15 July 1854.
- What came after
- Destroyed by arson in 1931.
Sources
More from Same Story, Different City
New York City · 1853New York Crystal PalaceA fireproof iron-and-glass hall burns to the ground in five years. How?An iron-and-glass palace for the 1853 Exhibition of the Industry of All Nations, behind the reservoir on 42nd Street. Destroyed by fire on 5 October 1858.
London, England · 18621862 International ExhibitionA building too big to keep, recycled into another palace. Who decided?A huge exhibition building in South Kensington. Parliament would not buy it; it was dismantled and the materials went into Alexandra Palace.
London, England · 1873Alexandra Palace fireSixteen days after opening. Then a bigger one in two years. Sound familiar?Opened 24 May 1873. Only 16 days later a fire destroyed it; it was rebuilt and reopened on 1 May 1875.
Sydney, Australia · 1879Garden Palace, SydneyA fair palace turned records office, then burned with the land records inside. Coincidence?A timber exhibition palace built for the 1879 Sydney International Exhibition, later used by government departments. Destroyed by fire on 22 September 1882, taking significant records with it, including records of squatting occupation in New South Wales.