On the initiative of the President of the French Republic, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, it was decided on October 22, 1977 to turn the Gare d'Orsay into a museum.

In 1978, the site was classified as a historical monument and the Musee d'Orsay was created one year later. During the construction work, care was taken to preserve the architecture of the Laloux building, the old structure.