Fifty-some years after Paris moved its ancient Les Halles central food market from the spot, and nearly 50 years after nearly everyone declared the shopping/cultural center that replaced it a disaster, Paris has opened the first big portion of its newest replacement, the “canopy” of the Forum des Halles.
Not everyone is happy with the design, and the whole project is still two years from completion, but Mayor Anne Hidalgo opened the 6+ acre largely-glass canopy this week. Its drooping shape covers a huge underground mall dating to the 1970s, new shopping and cultural areas, and entrances to a complex of Metro and RER stations around Chatelet-Les Halles.
Still to be completed are the landscaped areas outside the building, and major reconstruction of the rail stations, which presently are not only among the busiest but also among the most confusing and difficult transfers in the system.
To see more numbers and especially more pictures from TheLocal.fr, click HERE
Photos: Aerial view of project today; below, as it will look
