Crystal Palace (Porto)
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| Crystal Palace (Porto) | |
|---|---|
 View of the Crystal Palace, which was demolished in 1951 | |
 Interactive map of the Crystal Palace (Porto) area | |
| General information | |
| Type | Exhibition Centre |
| Location | Porto, Portugal |
| Coordinates | 41°08′49″N 8°37′33″W / 41.14694°N 8.62583°W |
| Construction started | 3 September 1861 |
| Inaugurated | 18 September 1865 |
| Technical details | |
| Structural system | Granite, iron and glass |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Thomas Dillen Jones |
| Civil engineer | Francis Webb Sheilds |
The Crystal Palace (O Palácio de Cristal) in Portugal's second largest city of Porto was inspired by The Crystal Palace in London. It was inaugurated in 1865 to host the 1865 International Exhibition. Eventually falling into disrepair, it was demolished in 1951 to make way for a Sports Pavilion, today known as the Rosa Mota Pavilion, named after the Portuguese marathon runner.
Porto's Crystal Palace was designed by English architect Thomas Dillen Jones and the Anglo-Irish engineer Francis Webb Sheilds. It was built at Torre da Marca on the edge of the city centre in granite, iron and glass, with the Crystal Palace in London serving as a model, as Jones and Sheilds had both worked on that building. Designed to host the 1865 International Exhibition in Porto, it was funded by Porto's Industrial Association, which formed the Sociedade de Palácio de Cristal Portuense (Porto Crystal Palace Company) in 1854. It was 150 metres long and 72 metres wide and was divided into three sections: a central nave (150 metres long and 25 metres wide), and two side aisles (each 100 metres long and 9 metres wide), and included two theatres. The first stone was laid on 3 September 1861, with King D. Pedro V in attendance, shortly before his death. The Crystal Palace was inaugurated on 18 September in 1865 by King D. Luís. The International Exhibition attracted over 3000 exhibitors, including 499 from France, 265 from Germany, 107 from Britain, 89 from Belgium and 62 from Brazil, as well as Spaniards, Danes, Russians, Dutch, and exhibitors from Turkey, the United States and Japan.[1][2]
Activities
Surrounded by landscaped gardens, the Palácio de Cristal became a popular place for residents of Porto to visit, even when there were no events in progress. Over its 86 years of existence, the Crystal Palace hosted many exhibitions, including one devoted to roses in 1879 and an agricultural exhibition in 1903. It was used for a reception in 1922 to celebrate the first air crossing of the southern Atlantic by Carlos Viegas Gago Coutinho and Artur de Sacadura Cabral, who flew from Lisbon to Rio de Janeiro. The building contained a pipe organ that was one of the largest in the world and hosted concerts by noted Portuguese performers such as the pianist and composer José Vianna da Motta and the cellist Guilhermina Suggia. It also hosted social events for the elite of Porto, such as Balls.[1][2][3]
