Napoleon III was responsible for the appearance of this vast esplanade which nowadays opens on to the Tuileries gardens. The side pavilions, with their richly decorated façades, were built from 1852 on. At the centre stands the famous glass pyramid designed by Ieoh Ming Pei in the 1980s. Its modernity was much debated at the time, but it has since blended effortlessly into the landscape of the courtyard. At night, the majestic façades of the Louvre are reflected in the rippled surface of the pools around the pyramid.