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Origin and history

The hotel Gouffier de Thoix, located at 56 rue de Varenne in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, was built between 1719 and 1725 by the architect Baudoin for Henriette de Penancoët de Kéroual, sister of the Duchess of Portsmouth. The land, acquired in 1719, bore the name of her husband, Thimoléon François Louis Gouffier, Marquis de Thoix. The hotel then passed to their son François-Louis, then to their grandson, who sold it in 1768 to Antoine-Martin Chaumont de La Galaizière. During the Revolution he was seized as a demigrated property and awarded in 1795 to a jeweller, François Gillot, via the first national lottery.

In the 18th century, the hotel was rented by René Charles de Maupeou, first president of the Paris Parliament, until his appointment as Chancellor of France in 1768. In 1836 he was bought by the deputy Alexandre Raguet-Lepine. In the 20th century, architect Jean-Charles Moreux made interior renovations and a garden in 1934. The writer Louis Aragon lived there for more than 20 years and died there; A commemorative plaque pays tribute to him. Since 1992, the State has owned the hotel, and the hotel has served as an annex to the Prime Minister's services.

Ranked a historic monument in 1946, the hotel is distinguished by its rocky portal decorated with marine motifs (shells, corals), inspired by 18th century natural history cabinets. Inside, the living rooms on the ground floor retain remarkable rock woodwork, while the courtyard features a trompe-l'oeil wall for perfect symmetry. The dining room houses a fountain and a terracotta stove, typical of the rock style.

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