Hôtel de la Marine
Encyclopedia
Place de la Concorde
The Place de la Concorde in area, it is the largest square in the French capital. It is located in the city's eighth arrondissement, at the eastern end of the Champs-Élysées.- History :...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, to the east of Rue Royale. It was built between 1757 and 1774 on what was then known as place Louis XV, with a façade by Ange-Jacques Gabriel
Ange-Jacques Gabriel
Ange-Jacques Gabriel was the most prominent French architect of his generation.Born to a Parisian family of architects and initially trained by the royal architect Robert de Cotte and his father , whom he assisted in the creation of the Place Royale at Bordeaux , the younger Gabriel...
, Premier architecte du Roi
Premier Architecte du Roi
The Premier Architecte du Roi was, under the Ancien Régime, the direct assistant to the general director of the building industries, arts and manufactures of France and, consequently, number 2 of the Bâtiments du Roi, forming part of the Secretary of State of the Maison du Roi.-Responsibilities:The...
and designer of the square. The identical building to its west now houses the Hôtel de Crillon
Hôtel de Crillon
The Hôtel de Crillon in Paris is one of the oldest luxury hotels in the world. The hotel is located at the foot of the Champs-Élysées and is one of two identical stone palaces on the Place de la Concorde. The Crillon has 103 guest rooms and 44 suites...
.
The building works were led by Jacques-Germain Soufflot
Jacques-Germain Soufflot
Jacques Germain Soufflot was a French architect in the international circle that introduced Neoclassicism. His most famous work is the Panthéon, Paris, built from 1755 onwards, originally as a church dedicated to Sainte Genevieve.- Biography :Soufflot was born in Irancy, near Auxerre.In the 1730s...
. Its two pediments contain allegories of Magnificence and Felicity by Guillaume II Coustou and Michel-Ange Slodtz. It originally belonged wholly to the crown, at first being used by the Garde-Meuble, whose galleries were open to the public from 9am to 1pm on the first Tuesday of each month between Easter and All Saints' Day. It also housed a chapel, a library, workshops, stables and many apartments, including those of the intendant of the Garde-Meuble – at first Pierre Élisabeth de Fontanieu (1767-1784) then Marc-Antoine Thierry de Ville-d'Avray (1784-1792).
When the Government was forced to join Louis XVI in quitting Versailles and setting up in the palais des Tuileries, the secrétaire d'État à la Marine, César Henri de la Luzerne, was hosted at the Garde-Meuble by his cousin Thierry de Ville d'Avray. Thus, from 1789, it housed the naval ministry. Led by admiral Decrès
Denis Decrès
Denis Decrès, , was an officer of the French Navy and count, later duke of the First Empire.-Early career:...
, the ministry considerably expanded its offices until it occupied the whole building.
The magnificent interior decor by Jacques Gondouin
Jacques Gondouin
Jacques Gondouin de folleville, or simply Gondoin was a French architect and designer.-Biographie:-Paris:...
, inspired by Piranesi, is an important step forward in 18th century taste, but was profoundly distorted by changes under the Second French Empire
Second French Empire
The Second French Empire or French Empire was the Imperial Bonapartist regime of Napoleon III from 1852 to 1870, between the Second Republic and the Third Republic, in France.-Rule of Napoleon III:...
, although the grands salons d'apparat and the Galerie Dorée still maintain some of the original elements.
It now houses the French naval staff
French Navy
The French Navy, officially the Marine nationale and often called La Royale is the maritime arm of the French military. It includes a full range of fighting vessels, from patrol boats to a nuclear powered aircraft carrier and 10 nuclear-powered submarines, four of which are capable of launching...
.