Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The building is part of the major urban project of the Saint Vincent de Paul district, launched in 1824 under the reign of Charles X. This subdivision, entrusted to financiers like Jacques Lafitte, aimed to transform the Saint-Lazare enclosure into a modern neighborhood, marked by a dodecagonal square (now Franz-Liszt Square) and a monumental church. The architect Achille Leclère, residing 2 rue d'Hauteville, designed an ambitious plan where facades and streets had to balance, with three-storey buildings and cast iron details.

The square, originally named Place Charles X (1825), became an architectural laboratory for the new Poissonnière district. The buildings, like those of numbers 1-3-5-7, were built in 1825 with triangular frontons and cast iron balconies, reflecting the desired stylistic unit. However, the arrival of the architect Hittorf in 1844 to complete the church of Saint Vincent de Paul broke this harmony: its monumental ramps isolated the building, altering the relationship between the square and the monument.

Despite subsequent changes (e.g. the elevation of attices or the development of shops on the ground floor), the whole remains of significant architectural consistency. The square, renamed Franz-Liszt in 1962, illustrates the evolution of Parisian neighbourhoods in the 19th century, between urban ambition and subsequent adaptations. The facades and roofs of buildings, including that of 1 Franz-Liszt Square, have been protected since 1998 for their heritage value.

The original project included nine radiant streets (including the streets Lafayette, Chabrol and Saint Vincent de Paul) and a monumental staircase inspired by the Trinity of Mounts in Rome. The key applied innovative principles, such as equality between full (buildings) and empty (street), with a uniform width of 20 metres. Only number 6, built around 1850, broke this unit, while number 4 (1835) was made by architect Pellechet.

The building of 5-7 Franz-Liszt Square, built by Leclère himself from 1825, embodies this architectural party. The cast-iron details, the corner bosses and the attic lucarns bear witness to the special care given to the model. Although unknown to Parisians, this set offers a rare example of planned urban planning under the Restoration, where architecture and public space were thought as a whole.

External links