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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The building of 15 rue Champollion, in the 5th arrondissement of Paris, dates from the 3rd quarter of the 17th century (1666-1670). It is a vestige of a campaign to build rental ensembles led by the Maison et Société de Sorbonne, an emblematic institution linked to the University of Paris. This real estate project aimed to house students, professors or clergy, reflecting the urban and intellectual expansion of the Latin Quarter at that time. The design was entrusted to Jacques Curadelle, architect and nephew by alliance of Jean Thiriot, himself architect of Cardinal de Richelieu. This link illustrates the networks of artistic and political influence that structured the major Parisian yards under Louis XIV.

The courtyard façades were redesigned in the 18th and 19th centuries, but the street façade retains original elements, such as small wood and cabochon frame bays, as well as 17th century window vestiges. The stairwell, on the other hand, preserved its original provisions: wrought iron ramps, wooden balusters, skeleton vantals, and tomette steps. These architectural details reflect the construction techniques and aesthetic taste of the mid-17th century, mixing functionality and sober ornaments.

The building was the subject of two protections under the Historical Monuments: a first in 1928 for its impostes and door vantals, and a second in 2000 for its facades, stairwell and staircase with ramp. These inscriptions highlight the heritage value of the building, both as a witness to sorbonnard urbanism and as an example of Parisian civil architecture during the reign of Louis XIV. The location in the rue Champollion, close to the Collège de France and the Sorbonne, reinforces its anchor in the intellectual and urban history of Paris.

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