I didn't know anything about it. There was an Ice Palace, a castle made up in Leadville, Colorado that was a huge deal at the time.(1896) I thought the Crystal Palace was something like that. It was also pretty huge and sometimes called the Crystal Palace. It was made of ice and housed a skating rink, a dance floor, a restaurant and gaming rooms. As expected, it eventually melted. To see more about it, go here:  http://cozine.com/2009-december/the-leadville-ice-palace-a-look-back/
Pretty entertaining webpage, all in all, and they have a good picture of the Ice Palace there too.
My favorite thing learned about the English Crystal Palace was the amount of indoor space it contained. Maybe there are shopping malls with entire trees inside, but I have never been to one. I was pleasantly impressed:)