Entrance to Porte Dauphine Metro Station (1901)  Paris

The Porte Dauphine was built in 1901 by Hector Guimard as is considered to be a major influential piece of art nouveau. The entrance of the subway displays several art nouveau characteristics including: curved lines; decorative font for "Metropolitan" in French; and combining art with form and function. I appreciate the way the artist designed the port in a way that allowed it to blend in with the surrounding of the Parisian park.  The way the roof of the port extends out reminds me of the branches of trees that surround the port. The structure also hints at a Japanese influence in that it looks similar to a Japanese tea hut.The structure is inviting and distracts one from its purpose, the port looks more like an entrance to a tea room or private club rather than the entrance to an underground rail station. 

Below is a link to a 3D viewing of the structure. The video also takes you inside the Paris subway station.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rA1SICsD8is