Adolphe Alphand
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Jean-Charles Adolphe Alphand (; 26 October 1817 – 6 December 1891) was a French engineer of the Corps of Bridges and Roads. As a close associate of
Baron Haussmann Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knigh ...
and later as Director of Public Works at Paris City Hall from 1871, he was instrumental in the large-scale renovation of Paris in the second half of the 19th century. In 1889, Alphand was elevated to the rank of Grand Cross of the
Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon, ...
. In 1891, shortly before his death, he succeeded Haussmann as a member of the
Académie des Beaux-Arts An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, ...
.


Life and career

Born in
Grenoble lat, Gratianopolis , commune status = Prefecture and commune , image = Panorama grenoble.png , image size = , caption = From upper left: Panorama of the city, Grenoble’s cable cars, place Saint- ...
, Alphand entered the
École polytechnique École may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France * École, Savoi ...
in 1835 and continued his engineering studies at the prestigious
École des ponts et chaussées École may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France * École, Savoi ...
in 1837. He began his career as an engineer in the coastal city of
Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectur ...
, working on improvements to the port, railways, as well as other infrastructure. It was in Bordeaux that Alphand met and earned the trust of
Baron Haussmann Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knigh ...
, who was
prefect Prefect (from the Latin ''praefectus'', substantive adjectival form of ''praeficere'': "put in front", meaning in charge) is a magisterial title of varying definition, but essentially refers to the leader of an administrative area. A prefect's ...
of
Gironde Gironde ( US usually, , ; oc, Gironda, ) is the largest department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of Southwestern France. Named after the Gironde estuary, a major waterway, its prefecture is Bordeaux. In 2019, it had a population of 1,62 ...
at the time. In 1854, the year after Haussmann was promoted to the powerful role of prefect of Seine in Paris by Emperor
Napoleon III Napoleon III (Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was the first President of France (as Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte) from 1848 to 1852 and the last monarch of France as Emperor of the French from 1852 to 1870. A nephew ...
, Haussmann hired Alphand as chief engineer of the
Bois de Boulogne The Bois de Boulogne (, "Boulogne woodland") is a large public park located along the western edge of the 16th arrondissement of Paris, near the suburb of Boulogne-Billancourt and Neuilly-sur-Seine. The land was ceded to the city of Paris by t ...
, a role which soon expanded into director of the newly formed parks department (Service des Promenades et Plantations) in 1855, as well as later into an all-around director of public works. Under Napoleon III, Alphand participated in the renovation of Paris directed by Baron Haussmann between 1852 and 1870, in the company of engineer
Eugène Belgrand Eugène Belgrand (23 April 1810 – 8 April 1878) was a French engineer who made significant contributions to the modernization of the Parisian sewer system during the 19th century rebuilding of Paris. Much of Belgrand's work remains in us ...
and the landscape architect
Jean-Pierre Barillet-Deschamps Jean-Pierre Barillet-Deschamps (7 June 1824 at Saint-Antoine-du-Rocher – 12 September 1873 at Vichy) was a French horticulturist and landscape architect. He was the chief gardener of Paris during the reign of Emperor Napoleon III, and wa ...
among others. As head of the parks department, Alphand worked closely with his chief architect
Gabriel Davioud Jean-Antoine-Gabriel Davioud (; 30 October 1824 – 6 April 1881) was a French architect. He worked closely with Baron Haussmann on the transformation of Paris under Napoleon III during the Second Empire. Davioud is remembered for his contribution ...
. Alphand created walks, parks and gardens designed to embellish and sanitise Paris. He also heavily remodeled the
Bois de Vincennes The Bois de Vincennes (), located on the eastern edge of Paris, is the largest public park in the city. It was created between 1855 and 1866 by Emperor Napoleon III. The park is next to the Château de Vincennes, a former residence of the King ...
and
Bois de Boulogne The Bois de Boulogne (, "Boulogne woodland") is a large public park located along the western edge of the 16th arrondissement of Paris, near the suburb of Boulogne-Billancourt and Neuilly-sur-Seine. The land was ceded to the city of Paris by t ...
in Paris's 12th and 16th arrondissements, respectively. Among the most dramatic transformations was the
Parc des Buttes-Chaumont The Parc des Buttes Chaumont () is a public park situated in northeastern Paris, France, in the 19th arrondissement. Occupying , it is the fifth-largest park in Paris, after the Bois de Vincennes, Bois de Boulogne, Parc de la Villette and Tuile ...
, established on the site of a former quarry, complete with waterfalls and grotto. In total, during the French Second Empire period, Alphand oversaw the creation or renovation of two large parks outside the city walls, three mid-size parks within the city walls, approximately 20 small garden "squares," and numerous tree-lined walks along avenues and boulevards in Paris. Although public parks had previously existed, according to one scholar, "Never before, in Europe or beyond, had landscape architecture played such a prominent role in so vast an urban renewal project." Adolphe Alphand's notable accomplishments include: * The
Square du Temple The Square du Temple is a garden in Paris, France in the 3rd arrondissement, established in 1857. It is one of 24 city squares planned and created by Georges-Eugène Haussmann and Jean-Charles Adolphe Alphand. The Square occupies the site o ...
* The
Paris Observatory The Paris Observatory (french: Observatoire de Paris ), a research institution of the Paris Sciences et Lettres University, is the foremost astronomical observatory of France, and one of the largest astronomical centers in the world. Its histor ...
Avenue (Avenue de l'Observatoire) * The gardens of
Champs-Élysées The Avenue des Champs-Élysées (, ; ) is an avenue in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France, long and wide, running between the Place de la Concorde in the east and the Place Charles de Gaulle in the west, where the Arc de Triomphe is lo ...
*
Parc Monceau Parc Monceau () is a public park situated in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France, at the junction of Boulevard de Courcelles, Rue de Prony and Rue Georges Berger. At the main entrance is a rotunda. The park covers an area of 8.2 hectares (20 ...
*
Boulevard Richard-Lenoir Boulevard Richard-Lenoir, running from the Bastille to the Avenue de la République, is one of the wide tree-lined boulevards driven through Paris by Baron Haussmann during the Second French Empire of Napoleon III Napoleon III (Charles Loui ...
* The
Bois de Vincennes The Bois de Vincennes (), located on the eastern edge of Paris, is the largest public park in the city. It was created between 1855 and 1866 by Emperor Napoleon III. The park is next to the Château de Vincennes, a former residence of the King ...
*
Parc Montsouris Parc Montsouris is a public park situated in southern Paris, France. Located in the 14th arrondissement, it was officially inaugurated in 1875 after an early opening in 1869. Parc Montsouris is one of the four large urban public parks, along wi ...
* The
Bois de Boulogne The Bois de Boulogne (, "Boulogne woodland") is a large public park located along the western edge of the 16th arrondissement of Paris, near the suburb of Boulogne-Billancourt and Neuilly-sur-Seine. The land was ceded to the city of Paris by t ...
* The
Parc des Buttes-Chaumont The Parc des Buttes Chaumont () is a public park situated in northeastern Paris, France, in the 19th arrondissement. Occupying , it is the fifth-largest park in Paris, after the Bois de Vincennes, Bois de Boulogne, Parc de la Villette and Tuile ...
* The
Square des Batignolles The Square des Batignolles, which covers 16,615 square metres of land (approximately four acres), is the largest green space in the 17th arrondissement of Paris. Designed in the naturalistic English-garden style, it lies in the district (''quarti ...
* The
Jardin des Plantes du Mans The Jardin des Plantes du Mans (8 hectares), also known as the Jardin d'Horticulture du Mans, is a botanical garden located at 4 Rue de Sinault, Le Mans, Sarthe, Pays de la Loire, France. It is open daily without charge. The garden was created b ...
After the retirement of Baron Haussmann, his successor,
Léon Say Jean-Baptiste-Léon Say (6 June 1826, Paris – 21 April 1896, Paris) was a French statesman and diplomat. One of the 19th-century's noted economists, he served as French Finance Minister from 1872 until 1883. Biography The Say family is a mos ...
, entrusted to Alphand the position of Director of Public Works of Paris. Under this title, Alphand continued Haussmann's works. Alphand also became the Director of Water Works after the death of Eugène Belgrand in 1878. In particular, Alphand directed the construction of: * The fortifications of Paris * The Trocadéro Gardens, carried out for the Paris Universal Exposition of 1878 * Preparation for the Universal Exposition of 1889 * The promenade and the gardens of Paris's Hôtel de Ville Alphand died in 1981. He was interred at
Père Lachaise Cemetery Père Lachaise Cemetery (french: Cimetière du Père-Lachaise ; formerly , "East Cemetery") is the largest cemetery in Paris, France (). With more than 3.5 million visitors annually, it is the most visited necropolis in the world. Notable figures ...
(division 67) after a grand funeral organised by the City of Paris. Avenue Alphand in Paris's 16th arrondissement was named after him in 1907.


Bibliography

*Alphand, Adolphe (1867-1873).
Les Promenades de Paris. Texte
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'' Rothschild. *Alphand, Adolphe (1867-1873).
Les_Promenades_de_Paris._Planches_[Plates
.html" ;"title="lates">Les Promenades de Paris. Planches [Plates
">lates">Les Promenades de Paris. Planches [Plates
' Paris: Rothschild. * Reprint. Originally published Paris : Rothschild, 1867–1873.


References

*


Further reading

* *Hopkins, Richard S. (2015).
Planning the Greenspaces of Nineteenth-Century Paris
'. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press. , 9780807159866. *Jordan, David P. (1995).
Transforming Paris: The Life and Labors of Baron Haussmann
'. New York: Simon and Schuster. , 978–0029165317. *Komara, Ann (2004).
Concrete and the Engineered Picturesque the Parc des Buttes Chaumont (Paris, 1867)
''Journal of Architectural Education'' Vol. 58, No. 1, Construction and Context (Sep., 2004), pp. 5-12. *Komara, Ann (2009).
Measure and Map: Alphand's Contours of Construction at the Parc des Buttes Chaumont, Paris 1867
" ''Landscape Journal'' Vol. 28, No. 1 (2009), pp. 22-39 *Picon, Antoine. "Nineteenth-Century Cartography and the Scientific Ideal: The Case of Paris." ''Osiris'' Vol 18 (2003), pp 135–149. University of Chicago Press. *Shapiro, Gideon Fink. "Alphand and the Urbanization of Garden Art in Paris." In ''Urban Landscape'' Vol. 3 (pp. 162–175), Edited by Anita Berrizbeitia. New York: Routledge. ISBN 9780415706957 {{DEFAULTSORT:Alphand, Adolphe French civil engineers French gardeners French bridge engineers French urban planners 1817 births 1891 deaths Corps des ponts Squares in Paris, * École Polytechnique alumni École des Ponts ParisTech alumni Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery 19th-century French architects 19th-century French engineers French landscape architects