Next to the Russian House, roof visible to the right. The Exposition of 1889 was also notable for its collection of 48 buildings illustrating the history of human habitation (à l'histoire de l'habitation humaine), a display organized by Charles Garnier, architect of the Paris Opéra.

Organized as a centennial celebration of the French Revolution, this was perhaps more important as a showcase of engineering technology than any other international exhibition of the 19th century. It boasted not only the highest structure then ever built, Gustave Eiffel's 300-m tower, but also that with the widest clear span, the Galerie des Machines (destr. 1910), a collaborative effort by the architect Charles-Louis-Ferdinand Dutert and the engineer Victor Contamin (1840-1898). The Galerie was 420 m long and had an unprecedented clear span of 115 m, accomplished with a novel system of thrice-articulated arches without intermediate supports. Even in much more eclectic structures, such as the Palais des Beaux-Arts and the Palais des Arts Libéraux by Jean-Camille Formigé, deliberately exposed metal structural components were much in evidence. The Exposition of 1889 was also notable for its collection of 48 buildings illustrating the history of human habitation, a display organized by Charles Garnier, architect of the Paris Opéra. The Eiffel Tower is the only remaining structure from the Exposition. Photographs remain; photographers include Adolphe Giraudon and Napoleon Dufeu.