FA 350

Elaine Kao
June 14th 2010 Le Palais Ideal

One of my most favourite works of architecture is Le Palais Ideal, a structure built by

one French postman who decided to build his dream. "I was not a builder, I had never handled
a mason’s trowel, I was not a sculptor. The chisel was unknown to me; not to mention
architecture, a field in which I remained totally ignorant.” Ferdinand Cheval (1836-1924) began
building his imaginary palace in 1879 and spent approximately 93,000 hours, 10,000 days, and
33 years on his architectural dream. He was interested in all sorts of things including history,
philosophy, and various civilizations and religions from all over the world, apparent in Le Palais
Ideal.

His route as a postman was about 32-km of travel per day by foot and he walked the
same route for 10 years. He experienced what he referred to as “trance-like” states on his long
and lonely journeys and supposedly had visions of a dazzling palace. One day in 1879 he
tripped over a stone which had an inspiring shape and prompted the postman to build his
dream. The next day he collected even more rocks. He began collecting them in his pockets,
then filling baskets, and eventually got a wheelbarrow as well!

The structure is a four-sided castle made of concrete, lime and wire. Architectural styles
he included in his palace include influences from various time periods and countries, including
Algiers, China, and Northern Europe. By the time he declared his work to be finished the
structure was about 85 feet long, 40 feet wide, and 35 feet tall. In 1969, le Palais Ideal was
recognized as a cultural landmark by the Minister of Culture at the time. Today, the site
welcomes thousands of tourists every year.