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Key figures

Origin and history

The Hotel de Parabère, also known as the Fitz-James Hotel, is a former private hotel located in No 20 of Place Vendôme, in the 1st arrondissement of Paris. Built between 1703 and 1705 by architect Germain Boffrand for Nicolas-Jérôme Herlaut, it is one of the first buildings erected on Louis-Le-Grand Square (now Vendôme Square). This hotel is emblematic of the Parisian architecture of the early eighteenth century, with a history marked by influential owners and varied uses.

When Nicolas-Jérôme Herlaut died in 1716, he left the hotel in Élisabeth-Thérèse Le Rebours, wife of his protector, Minister Michel Chamillart. In 1717, however, the hotel was transferred to the Marquise Madeleine de La Vieuville, widow of César-Alexandre de Baudéan-Parabère and mistress of the Regent. Although the will suggests a gift, a subsequent inventory reveals that the Marquise actually paid 126,000 pounds for this acquisition. The hotel was then rented to various characters, including Charles de Nocé in 1720.

In the 18th century, the hotel changed hands and used several times. In 1764 he was acquired by Elizabeth de Ligniville, widow Corday de La Garde, who rented him to Duke Jacques-Charles de Fitz-James between 1780 and 1785. It also houses the Pache & Cie Bank (1788-1789), the Constituent Assembly Committee in 1790, and the headquarters of the Compagnie française des Indes orientales from 1791. These occupations reflect its importance in the political and economic life of the time.

In the 19th century, the hotel passed into the hands of several notable owners. In 1805 Jean-Baptiste Joseph Boscary de Villeplaine acquired it and later rented it to the Duke of Lévis. After the death of Baron de Villeplaine in 1827, his widow lived there until 1850. The hotel was then purchased by Louis Martin Lebeuf, regent of the Banque de France, and then by industrialist Gustave Lebaudy, who died there in 1889. His son inherited the good and took away a bas-relief attributed to Clodion in 1905.

In 1907-1908, architect René Sergent built a Louis XVI style building in the backyard for the renowned Duveen brothers. This building serves as a Parisian store for their activity. Today, the hotel houses the shops of Van Cleef & Arpels (since 2016) and Blancpain, as well as the headquarters of Ardian. Its history thus reflects a transition between aristocratic residence, institutional place and luxury commercial space.

The hotel of Parabère is protected as historical monuments, with an inscription in 1927 and a ranking in 1930. These distinctions underline its heritage and architectural importance in the Parisian landscape. A citizen of Hotel Duché des Tournelles and Hotel de Ségur, it occupies a central place in the urban and social history of Place Vendôme.

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