Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The hotel at 120 rue du Bac is a private hotel located in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, in the heart of a historic district. Built in the 17th century for a nobleman, it shares an identical architecture with the neighbouring hotel (no 118), known as Clermont-Tonnerre, built between 1713 and 1715 by architect Claude-Nicolas Lepas-Dubuisson. The two buildings, decorated by the sculptors Dupin and Toro, were confiscated during the Revolution before being sold in the early 19th century.

In the 19th century, the hotel welcomed notable figures such as François-René de Chateaubriand, who lived there from 1838 until his death on 4 July 1848. A commemorative plaque pays tribute to him today. Later, in the 1950s, the couple Jean-Georges Rueff (consul, collector and art merchant) and his wife Marie-Paule lived there. The hotel has been listed for historical monuments since 10 May 1926, highlighting its heritage importance.

Its history reflects the political and cultural upheavals of France, from the Ancien Régime to the contemporary era. The hotel also illustrates the role of Parisian private hotels as places of residence for the aristocracy, then for intellectual and artistic personalities. Its architecture and its occupants make it a privileged witness to the social and urban evolution of Paris.

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