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Origin and history

The Cartier Hotel, also known as the Moreau Hotel, is a private hotel located in No 8 of Place de la Concorde in the 8th arrondissement of Paris. It was built in the second half of the 18th century behind a facade designed by the architect Jacques-Ange Gabriel, as part of a royal project to embellish Louis XV Square (now Place de la Concorde). This project originally planned to install the Mint Hotel, but the land was eventually divided into four lots assigned to private individuals, including the Cartier Hotel.

The construction of the Cartier Hotel, outside Gabriel's façade, was entrusted to architect Pierre-Louis Moreau-Desproux. Built for the latter, the hotel then passed to its daughters, Mrs.Lambot de Fougères and Ms.Chézelles, and then to the notary Péan de Saint-Gilles in 1830. The facade, characteristic of the French classical style, was classified as a historic monument in 1900, recognizing its exceptional heritage value.

Since 1901, the Cartier Hotel has been home to the headquarters of the Automobile Club de France with the nearby Plessis-Bellière (No 6). Between 1898 and 1912, the two hotels were redesigned by architect Gustave Rives to form a coherent ensemble. A notable feature is the existence of a replica of the Cartier Hotel in Philadelphia (United States), integrated into the Free Library of Philadelphia, built by architects Horace Trumbauer and Julian Abele.

The Cartier Hotel is part of a prestigious architectural complex, alongside the Hotel de Coislin (No 4), the Hotel du Plessis-Bellière (No 6) and the Hotel de Crillon (No 10). These buildings reflect the ambitious urban planning of the eighteenth century, marked by the royal will to modernize Paris and assert its prestige through monumental achievements. The Place de la Concorde, with its private hotels, remains a major testimony of that time.

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