Charles Ribart
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Charles-François Ribart was an 18th century French architect.
[edit] Architectural career
In 1758, he planned an addition to the Champs-Élysées in Paris, to be constructed where the Arc de Triomphe now stands. It consisted of three levels, to be built in the shape of an elephant, with entry via a spiral staircase in the underbelly. The building was to have a form of air conditioning, and furniture that folded into the walls. A drainage system was to be incorporated into the elephant's trunk. The French Government, however, was not amused and turned him down.
Little of his work now survives.
[edit] See also
- Lucy the Elephant
- Bastille Elephant, a Napoleon-era proposal to build an elephant-shaped fountain in Place de la Bastille.
