Final answer:
The Crystal Palace was special for its pioneering design using glass and structural metal that pointed towards modern architectural methods.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Crystal Palace was a groundbreaking structure designed by Joseph Paxton for the Great Exhibition of 1851. As one of the first buildings to use large amounts of glass supported by structural metal, it was a precursor to Modernist architecture's use of these materials. While contemporary to the industrial architecture that dominated northern Britain, the Crystal Palace stood out due to its design and the use of glass, contrasting sharply with the 'Dark satanic mills' described by William Blake.
This innovative building foreshadowed the curtain wall systems introduced in 1864 and was an antecedent to the Chicago school of architecture's steel-framed skyscrapers pioneered by William Le Baron Jenney and Louis Sullivan in the 1890s. Historians have praised the Crystal Palace as an example of outstanding and creative architecture, although some did find it an unusual building at the time of its construction.
Inside, the Crystal Palace housed numerous technological wonders and artworks, exemplifying the pinnacle of contemporary luxury and engineering. It was meant to be a symbol of the industrial might and innovation of the time.