City Hall, Tours: Three-quarter view

Beaux-Arts style is at its most spectacular in large public commissions. Overscaling (a device that characterizes Baroque more than classical architecture) prevents the H\u00F4tel de Ville (1897-1904) in Tours by Victor Laloux from being a mere pastiche of a 17th-century h\u00F4tel de ville; the atlantids framing the main entrance are truly awe-inspiring, almost surrealistic. The building also has sculpture by Louis Marie Cordonnier.