in the middle of the 19th century, the land passed first to paulin talabot, director of the new plm railroad which connected paris to marseille; and then the land was acquired by the city of marseille. the city commissioned landscape architect adolphe alphande to design a park with three distinct parts; a french garden, an english landscape park, and a track for horse racing by the side of the sea. a number of wooden pavilions were constructed; just one remains, the former pavilion by the lake, which had also served as a botanical laboratory of the institut colonial.