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Origin and history

The Palace of the Alma, located 11 quai Branly in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, was built in 1861 by architect Jacques-Martin Tétaz to serve as stables for Napoleon III. Intended to house 300 horses and 130 employees, he replaced the former stables of Artois and Montagne Street. The works, initiated by Tétaz, were continued by the architects Frémont and Joly, then completed by Hector-Martin Lefuel. The building, organized around a central courtyard, included sheds, a forge, a infirmary and a ride.

In 1881, after the fall of the Second Empire, the palace became a dependency of the presidency of the Republic for its stables. As early as 1888, some of the premises were occupied by the Meteorology Bureau and the Statistics Department and then by the Meteorology Office from 1947. In the twentieth century, the Supreme Council of the Judiciary (1952-2011) and various presidential services, such as the gallery of official gifts, were installed there. Ranked a historic monument in 2002, it now houses office accommodation for employees of the Elysée.

The palace comprises about 60 apartments, allocated by the president to members of the cabinet or staff subject to time constraints. These dwellings, once without a legal framework, were reformed in 2014 after criticism by the Court of Auditors. An occupation fee was introduced, and the contracts were strictly linked to the duration of the duties. Among the notable occupants, Anne Pingeot and her daughter Mazarine lived there discreetly during the presidency of François Mitterrand.

Between 2019 and 2020, a renovation allowed for the transfer of presidential services to the narrow, including the administrative restaurant of the Elysée, which did not meet health standards. The palace, adjacent to the Quai Branly Museum and close to the Alma Bridge, is named after the Battle of Crimea (1854). Its architecture, organised around courtyards and gardens, reflects its initial use of imperial stables, before its conversion to republican power.

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