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Origin and history

The Hesselin hotel, built between 1640 and 1644 by architect Louis Le Vau for Louis Hesselin, was a 17th-century mansion located on the island of Saint Louis. Heselin, master of the House of Deniers and intendant of the King's Pleasures, housed a cabinet of curiosities and a rich collection of art. The gate, decorated with ram heads carved by Étienne Le Hongre, and arranged in pavilions along the quay reflected the influence of Le Vau, who also experimented with a room with Italian.

The hotel changed ownership several times: sold in 1719 at Monerat, then in 1787 at d'Ambrun de Mouutalets, it was finally acquired by Le Brochant, whose heirs, like Alexandre Parent du Châtelet, partially transformed it. In the 19th century, a two-storey building was added, welcoming prestigious tenants, including an apostolic nuncio and Loquet, mayor of the district. Despite its ranking at historical monuments in 1927, the hotel was razed in 1934.

Helena Rubinstein, a cosmetics manufacturer, bought the land in 1932 and entrusted architect Louis Süe with the construction of a modern building, where she settled in 1937. His triplex, decorated by artists such as Jean Lurçat and Pablo Picasso, became a reception place in All-Paris. Occupied by the Germans during World War II, the apartment kept furniture sifted with bullets as testimony. He was later leased to Georges and Claude Pompidou, who died there in 1974 and 2007, respectively.

Among the remains of the original hotel remains the wrought iron balcony on the first floor (classified in 1927), paintings of the stairwell, a courtyard fountain and an arched decor. The original set juxtaposed pavilions along Poulletier Street, with winter apartments on the Seine side and summer apartments on the garden side. The sculptors Gilles Guérin and Jacques Sarrazin, as well as the painter Michel Dorigny, had contributed to his interior decoration.

The current building, although modern, perpetuates the memory of this historic site, where figures like Louis de Funès and Claude Mauriac resided. Its architecture and history illustrate the transformations of Île Saint-Louis, between preserved heritage and urban renewal.

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