Part of a series that aims to place buildings within their historical context, this text considers Paxton's Crystal Palace, McKim, Mead & White's Pennsylvania Station and Dutert's Palais des Machines. It includes specially produced technical drawings that explain how the buildings were detailed and put together. The text explains why a knowledge of these structures is vital to an understanding of the history of architecture, as, together these buildings, with their innovative approaches to design and new technology, paved the way for the modern architectural movement.