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Setting the scene
President François Mitterrand's Grands Travaux program sought to modernize Paris landmarks. Chinese-American architect I. M. Pei proposed a glass pyramid in the Louvre's Napoleon Courtyard to serve as a new main entrance.
What happened
The Louvre Pyramid opened in March 1989, standing 71 feet high with 673 glass panes, above an underground lobby connecting museum wings. Critics called it a sacrilege; visitors soon embraced it.
Why it still matters
Attendance surged, and Pei's design became as photographed as the Mona Lisa inside. Memorable detail: Pei initially kept his pyramid sketches secret from the public because he feared Parisians would reject a modern structure in a royal courtyard built for a king's palace.
Background
It became the museum's main entrance.