The construction of the Palais de la Bourse or Palais du Commerce began in 1856. The building would house the company of change agents and brokers in silk, shops, and a museum of art and industry. The Palais was richly adorned with statues symbolising various virtues and enterprises (Justice, Temperance, Agriculture, Trade, Industry). The central hall, called “Salle de la Corbeille”, served the needs of the stock exchange, and had a richly-decorated ceiling and four niches containing statues representing the four elements (water, air, fire, earth). The four figures in the upper gallery symbolise the four parts of the world. The marble statue in front of the south staircase was made in 1905 and represents the rivers Saône and Rhône joining their arms to point to the future.