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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The town hall of the 2nd arrondissement of Paris, located at 8 rue de la Banque, was designed by the architect Alphonse-François-Joseph Girard from 1848. Originally destined for the former 3rd arrondissement, it was reassigned to the 2nd after the redistribution of Paris in 1860. The building, completed between 1847 and 1852, replaces the unfinished projects of Paul Lelong, who died in 1846.

The wedding hall, decorated with paintings by Georges Moreau de Tours and designed by Charles-Gustave Huillard, student of Victor Baltard, is a remarkable element. The building was partially listed as historic monuments in 1982, protecting its facades, roofs, vestibule and wedding hall.

During the Second World War, Jacques Bidaut, secretary general of the town hall, was arrested by the Gestapo in 1943 for his role in the Resistance. He provided false papers and documents to the resistors before he died on deportation in 1944. A square in the 2nd arrondissement today bears its name.

In 2020, the town hall lost its initial administrative function with the creation of the Paris Centre sector, comprising the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th arrondissements. It is now dedicated to becoming a social services house for the centre of Paris.

The building is part of an architectural complex including the Hôtel du Stamp and a former Barracks des Gardes de Paris, all built during the piercing of the Rue de la Banque in 1844. Its style reflects the standards of public buildings under the Second Empire.

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