The École des Beaux-Arts was founded in Paris in 1648 when the Académie des Beaux-Arts was established by Cardinal Mazarin. Throughout its history, the school trained many famous European artists and focused on classical arts and architecture from ancient Greece and Rome. In 1863, Napoleon III granted the school independence from the government and changed its name to L'École des Beaux-Arts. The Beaux-Arts style of architecture and design had a significant influence on public works and buildings in the United States from 1880 to 1920.