Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Hotel de Mercy-Argenteau was built in 1778 by the architect Firmin Perlin for the banker Jean-Joseph de Laborde, before being transferred to the Count of Mercy-Argenteau, imperial ambassador to Paris from 1766 to 1790. The latter, close to Laborde, gave his name to the building. Located at 16 bis boulevard Montmartre, it is one of the first constructions of the boulevard and the few still preserved today, with the Hôtel de Montholon. Originally, the hotel had two floors, a large garden and communes, but it lost much of these spaces during the French Revolution.

During the Restoration, between 1827 and 1829, the main body of the hotel was raised by three floors, transforming it into a six-level reporting building. To preserve the enfilade of the lounges on the beautiful floor, then occupied by the Grand Circle (a worldly circle), two side staircases were added, connected by courtyards illuminated by wells of light. This configuration created apartments of various sizes on the upper floors. In 1890, a festive hall was set up above the courtyard, attributed to Charles Garnier although the plans were signed by architect Fernoux.

The hotel has retained remarkable elements such as a monumental vestibule, a staircase of honour illuminated by a lantern, and a Louis XVI lounge decorated with Corinthian columns. It will later house composers Boieldieu and Rossini. Partly listed as a historical monument in 1958, it underwent a major restructuring between 2009 and 2012 by the cabinet DTACC, preserving the classified parts of the first floor but modifying the façade of the ground floor. Between 2013 and 2019, he hosted the headquarters of Mozilla and in 2024 became an exhibition venue for the Van Cleef & Arpels School of Arts.

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