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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Hotel Bénazet is a private hotel built between 1775 and 1778 for Viscount Joseph de Saint-Chamans, in the booming district of Chaussée d'Antin in Paris. This neighbourhood, which was then popular with the aristocracy, financiers and artists, saw the raising of residences reflecting the fascist of the Old Regime. The hotel, organized according to a traditional plan between courtyard and garden, embodies the elegant residential architecture of the late eighteenth century, before revolutionary upheavals.

In 1865, the hotel underwent a major transformation under the direction of architect Charles Couteau, on behalf of Oscar Edouard Bénazet, a businessman who had built his fortune through the Baden-Baden casino. The modifications include the elevation of one floor, the simplification of the courtyard façade, the addition of a porch and a veranda on the garden side, as well as a complete interior renovation. The outbuildings on street are replaced by a report building, while the three enfilade lounges on the ground floor receive a sumptuous neo-XVIII century decor.

The interior decoration is marked by the intervention of painter Alexis-Joseph Mazerolle, author of marouflé canvases and allegorical medallions. In the central living room, five medallions above the doors illustrate the arts, and four others, in the ceilings, represent the seasons. The western living room houses a large allegorical painting celebrating wine and table, while the other decorations (hunting trophies, musical instruments, ceilings) remain uncertain. The main façade and neo-Renaissance porch of the building on street, inspired by the Louvre, complete to make this ensemble a remarkable testimony of 19th century architectural eclecticism.

In 2023, the Bénazet hotel, which was partially listed as a historical monument, today protects its three salons and their decor, preserving a fragment of Parisian history, between aristocratic heritage and the fascists of the triumphant bourgeoisie of the Second Empire.

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