1664 - The first owner of 104 Rue de Richelieu
Louis Bourgeois, owner of cultivated marshes, sold the plot of land at the “102” to Pierre Boisseau, a parliamentary prosecutor.
Illustre
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1664
The first owner of 104 Rue de Richelieu
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1676
From cardinal to royal
1676 - From cardinal to royal
The district is home to the Palais Cardinal opposite the Quinze-Vingts, a hospice founded around 1260 by Saint-Louis and dedicated to young blind people. Richelieu set up his residence there until 1636, when he donated it to the king. In 1643, the regent Anne of Austria settled there with her sons, the young Louis XIV and his brother. The Cardinal’s Palace then became the Palais Royal.
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1698
The “hôtel particulier” de la Cour des Chiens and its neighbor, a farmyard
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1707
The construction of the Cour des Chiens hôtel
1707 - The construction of the Cour des Chiens hôtel
King’s architect: Pierre Levé
Engraved façades: Jean Mariette
A large garden extended as far as the private mansion of the Maréchal de Montmorency, Duke of Luxembourg.
A large carriage gate opened onto the main courtyard, at the end of which stood the main building with two small wings on the sides.
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1710
Louis XIV seizes the 104 Rue de Richelieu
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1713
The Grands Boulevards: a bold decision by Louis XIV!
1713 - The Grands Boulevards: a bold decision by Louis XIV!
After important military victories, Louis XIV considered his capital was no longer in need of defense. The king wanted to prove the world that Paris is unassailable, even without protection. He therefore ordered the destruction of the city walls, enlarged by his father Louis XIII, and transformed the area into a beautiful 4-km long promenade between the Madeleine and the Bastille…the Grand Boulevards were born!
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1775
Barthélémy-Louis Rolland de Villarceaux buys 102 and 104 Rue de Richelieu
1775 - Barthélémy-Louis Rolland de Villarceaux buys 102 and 104 Rue de Richelieu
The new owner, Barthélémy-Louis Rolland de Villarceaux, Receiver General of Finance for Riom and Auvergne, asked Charles de Wailly the construction of two houses, in place of the existing mansion and poultry yard: a larger one at the “104” and a smaller one at “102”, which would later be called the « Maison de Voltaire ». The French architect Charles de Wailly was one the main Antique-style designers – he had a predilection for the perfect figure, the circle. He was made famous for designing the Odéon Theatre and the Comédie-Française.
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1778
The “Maison de Voltaire”
1778 - The “Maison de Voltaire”
Voltaire bought the “102” in 1778, just a few months before he died. His niece, Madame Denis, lived there until 1790.
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1782
The invention of the restaurant
1782 - The invention of the restaurant
Until then, there were only four types of establishments: taverns serving only wine, wine and meat cabaret owners, innkeepers who only offered one dish at a fixed time, and caterers only allowed to sell sauces and stews. The first restaurants opened their doors in 1765, but it wasn’t until the French Revolution that they really developed.
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1789
The first restaurant at the “104”
1789 - The first restaurant at the “104”
With the French Revolution and the arrest and flight of the aristocrats, the service personnel found themselves unemployed. This new context encouraged M. Robert, chef of the Prince de Condé, to open his own establishment at 104 Rue de Richelieu, the first restaurant of a long series at this address.
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1796
29 Ventose, Year VII
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1818
The first headquarters of the Caisse d’Épargne
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1820
After de Wailly, Visconti
1820 - After de Wailly, Visconti
While keeping intact the mansion built by de Wailly, located at the back of the plot, the architect Visconti added in front a “maison de produit”, sort of large shop. Visconti is the designer of a statue of Molière located Rue de Richelieu, and of Napoleon’s tomb at the Invalides.
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1828
The Lointier restaurant succeeds the Robert restaurant
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1833
When Alfred de Musset meets George Sand
1833 - When Alfred de Musset meets George Sand
On June 17, 1833, two already famous writers were to attend the same dinner at Lointier’s, at 104 Rue de Richelieu. Alexandre Dumas cancelled at the last minute and was replaced by Alfred de Musset where he met George Sand. Their idyll lasted two years and largely influenced the latter’s correspondence and Musset’s book La Confession d’un enfant du siècle.
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1835
The Cercle de l’Europe
1835 - The Cercle de l’Europe
The Lointier restaurant was replaced by the Cercle de l’Europe, an exclusive club for a privileged few.
The lounges were open from nine in the morning to midnight, where French and foreign newspapers were available for an annual fee of 150 francs.
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1839
Balzac and the Jockey Club
1839 - Balzac and the Jockey Club
The Jockey Club is mentioned several times in Balzac’s novel Beatrix.
At the height of the Romantic period, women adorn themselves with the most beautiful dresses, hats and other fashion accessories.
The first department stores appeared a few years later (le Printemps in 1865) and will elect to stay in what was to become the fashion district.
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1840
The Parisian Passages
1840 - The Parisian Passages
Mr. Farina became the new owner of the “104” in 1833. He played an active role in creating a new passage between the Rue de Richelieu and the Rue Neuve-Vivienne, thus benefiting directly his own business as a merchant. The Rue Neuve-Vienne opened in 1840.
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1845-82
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1846
“Aux Villes de France”, the ancestor of department stores
1846 - “Aux Villes de France”, the ancestor of department stores
The nearby passages attracted crowds; shops multiplied and flourished.
Aux Villes de France ran its large “novelty store” at the “104”, from 1846 to 1873. With its other entrance at the 51 Rue Vivienne, it was a huge gallery that claimed to be “an establishment worthy of the splendor of the Capital”.
Speaking of department stores, Théophile Bader together with his cousin Alphonse Kahn took over a “novelty store” in 1893, and opened their first store the following year, at 1 Rue de la Fayette, in a 70m2-venue, which they named “The Galeries”, precursor of the Galeries Lafayette.
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1856
The invention of the “religieuse” patisserie at Frascati’s
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1883
A new culinary establishment at the “104”: the Lecoeur Restaurant
1883 - A new culinary establishment at the “104”: the Lecoeur Restaurant
On December 16th, 1883, a new restaurant opened at 104 Rue de Richelieu. Its 2,50-franc menu included an appetizer, two main dishes, two desserts and a bottle of wine… a light lunch!
On the wine list, a Château Margaux at 8 francs…
A forerunner in terms of communication, the establishment printed a metro map on the back of its leaflet to help customers find their way around the Thiers fortifications.
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1886
The Vidal sisters and their Montpensier dress
1886 - The Vidal sisters and their Montpensier dress
The “104” is home to the Vidal sisters, “dress artists” known for their Montpensier dress.
La Vie Parisienne newspaper writes: “The very sober Parisian-style Montpensier dress is available in navy-blue cheesecloth with garnet shades, a postillion jacket and a garnet waistcoat ... in the purest Louis XVI style.”
Let’s also mention the “Béatrix mantlet” named in honor Balzac’s connection to the 104.
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1894
The Boulevard Haussmann’s final change
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1914-15
A menu that says it all
1914-15 - A menu that says it all
Let’s compare these two menus from Maubert”s restaurant, the new restaurant at the “104”:
The first one is dated August 15, 1914, the second of April 1915, and German is no longer spoken... The wine list would be an exceptional wine list by today’s standards.
Interesting archives: These two menus from the same establishment, the Maubert restaurant, before and during the First World War. In the second version, German is no longer spoken...
First menu dated August 15, 1914 Second menu of April 1915 Note that the wine list would be worthy of an exceptional establishment today!
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1964
Demolition
