Crystal Palace crashes in Flames - The Duke of Kent was midnight visitor to the blaze. He is seen here talking to Major Cyril Morris, chief of the London Fire Brigade.The Crystal Palace, most famous exhibition building in the world, is now but a wreckage of tangled girders, after the huge fire which broke out last night, making a red glare in the sky that could be seen 50 miles away. Built in 1834, it cost nearly $1,500,000. It has been estimated that if the panes of glass, of which the building mainly consisted, were placed end to end, they would have extended 242 miles. December 01, 1936. (Photo by Keystone).