Short answers, pulled from the story.
Catherine de' Medici purchased the land to build a new residence near the Louvre Castle. She acquired the site which had previously been filled with workshops and kilns making roof tiles.
Construction began in 1564 under chief architect Philibert de l'Orme. Work continued until his death in 1570 when Jean Bullant took over the project during its early stages.
Twelve men under Jules Bergeret set the palace on fire using petroleum and liquid tar. The blaze lasted forty-eight hours and thoroughly gutted the building except for foundations and the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel.
The ruins stood on the site for eleven years before demolition began in February 1883. Achille Picart sold bits of stone and marble as souvenirs to build structures elsewhere after the destruction.
André Le Nôtre laid out the design for the Tuileries Garden in 1664. A straight line runs through the Place de la Concorde to La Défense originally centered on the palace façade.