Timeline

Heritage classified

Origin and history

The shop located at 13 rue Michel-le-Comte in the 3rd arrondissement of Paris dates from the 19th century, more precisely from the period of the Restoration (1814-1830). It occupies the ground floor of a report building without major architectural peculiarity, but its wooden and cast iron front is a remarkable testimony of the commercial craftsmanship of the period. The decorative elements, such as cast iron capitals representing the leaves of the acanthes, grapes and heads of Bacchus, suggest that it was probably a former drink flow, a type of establishment very widespread in Paris in the early 19th century.

The front is distinguished by its wooden formwork composed of rectangular panels and a set of archatures. The entrance is marked by a wide bay framed by two wooden pilasters, topped with ornamented cast iron capitals. These stylistic details reflect the influence of neoclassical motifs and the importance attached to the beautification of Parisian shops under the Restoration, a period marked by economic renewal and a desire to restore architectural prestige after revolutionary upheavals.

The front door was protected by a registration order for the Historic Monuments on May 23, 1984, thereby recognizing its heritage value. This ranking underscores the historical and aesthetic interest of this element, a rare example preserved from a time when Parisian shops were beginning to adopt more worked facades to attract a growing clientele. Today, although the building itself does not have any exceptional features, it offers a valuable insight into 19th-century Paris commercial and craft practices.

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