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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The hotel of Albret, also known as Hotel Jeanne d'Albret, is a private hotel located at 29bis and 31 rue des Francs-Bourgeois in the 4th arrondissement of Paris. Originally built in 1545 by Pierre Le Jay, Treasurer of the king's extraordinary, on five parcels of the subdivision of the Sainte-Catherine Culture, it was profoundly redesigned between 1680 and 1700, however retaining Renaissance elements such as its slate top and its curved skylights. Its rocky portal, adorned with a head cartridge of winged animal and garlands, as well as its sculpted curved door from Hercules, bear witness to its architectural prestige.

In the 19th century and until the 1970s, the hotel houses artisanal and commercial activities, including the Baguès and Robert Redon lustreries, the latter adding a gallery in the garden, reduced by half at that time. The tower of Philippe-Auguste, formerly integrated, is then found outside the boundaries of the property. Repurchased by the City of Paris in 1975, the hotel was restored in 1989 to become the headquarters of the Directorate of Cultural Affairs, while preserving its historical decorations like the golden balcony of the Locksmith Hallé.

Ranked a historic monument in 1889, the Jeanne d'Albret Hotel illustrates the architectural evolution of Paris, mixing Renaissance heritage and 17th and 18th century transformations. Its current use perpetuates its link with culture, after centuries of adaptation to various functions, from aristocratic residences to artisanal workshops. The entrance door, the work of Jean-Baptiste Martin le Jeune, and its mythological details (like Hercules) underline its status as a private mansion of exception in the Marais.

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