Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The town hall of the 5th arrondissement of Paris, located in the place du Panthéon, was designed after the law of 2 July 1844. The architect Jean-Baptiste Guenepin drew up the plans, but Jacques Hittorff completed most of the work in 1849. The interior layout, entrusted to Pierre-Victor Calliat between 1866 and 1870, was inspired by the nearby faculty of law, built in 1770. As soon as it was built, the building proved too small, requiring partial reconstruction from 1921.

The neo-classical façade was inscribed in the historic monuments in 1925, and a new decree of 8 July 2024 extended this protection to other elements, including stairwells, external gates, and the monument to the dead. The site also houses remarkable works, such as a marble Marianne bust by Wermare in the wedding hall, or five paintings by Henri Martin (1932-1935) adorning the honorary staircase, depicting the garden of Luxembourg in a post-impressionist style.

The building played a pioneering role in media history: in December 1935, it hosted one of the first public television broadcasts in France, alongside five other Parisian venues. Between 1932 and 1989, the Marguerite-Durand Library, dedicated to the history of women and feminism, was housed in its attic. Today, the town hall remains an administrative and cultural symbol of the Latin Quarter, mixing architectural heritage and collective memory.

The official address, specified by heritage sources, includes several entrances: 21 Place du Panthéon, but also 1 rue Soufflot, 11-13 rue des Fossés-Saint-Jacques, and 21 rue Clotaire (formerly 13 Place du Panthéon). These details reflect its integration into the historical urban fabric of the 5th arrondissement, between Sorbonne and Panthéon.

External links