Martin ws the name of the architect who was commissioned with the task of building this impressive prefecture headquarters for the Rhone area. It took a period of five years between 1861 and 1866 to construct the large building. It was heavily modelled on the Pallazo Vecchio in the centre of Florence and oozes Italian style and class. The building dwarfs all of the surrounding buildings and offices, a true monument to the importance and power of the region historically and today.
