Look at this beautiful Art Nouveau building! This is the the Paris Metro station at the Bastille. Or it was, before it was torn down in 1962. By that time, it was considered old fashioned, and was demolished to make way for something more modern. The Bastille station was considered "garish" even when it was first built, one of 141 train stations designed by Hector Guimard and erected at the turn of the 20th century. A few still remain in the city.
Today, the Guimard stations are considered French national treasures, and there’s even a replica station in the New York MOMA’s Sculpture Garden. But back in the 1960s, a number of the stations were torn down as the city continued to modernize and expand the subway system. Tragically, the Bastille station was no exception.
Read about Guimard's unique metro stations and see plenty of pictures at Messy Nessy Chic.