François Nicolas Martinet, Site of Hotel d'Langeac, Jefferson's residence in Paris - Lehigh University Library

The Hôtel de Langeac was a residence in

Paris, France Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

, located at 92,

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, the corner of the Champs-Élysées and the rue de Berri. The property was first purchased by Louis-Phélypeaux de La Vrillière, Comte de Saint-Florentin, later the Duc de La Vrillière, for his mistress, the Marquise de Langeac. Construction on the home began in 1768 and proceeded slowly, parly due to an interruption. In 1777, the Comte D'Artois obtained the property but in 1778 the Comte de Langeac (son of the Marquise) regained the property and work again started to finally complete the building. The two-story house had a neo-classical facade and an asymmetrical interior plan with two parallel sets of rooms. The Hôtel de Langeac may have been best known as the (rented) residence of

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was previously the natio ...

while he was the American Minister to France, from 1785 to 1789. "I have at length procured a house in a situation much more pleasing to me than my present", he wrote in September, 1785. Jefferson grew Indian corn in the garden of the house. He filled the house with neoclassical furniture and employed a household staff of seven or eight servants, including a coachman, footman, and valet. Much of his official business was conducted from the house. Jefferson returned to the U.S. in September 1789 and his belongings were shipped to him in Philadelphia. The building was seized during the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...

, sold in 1793 and demolished in 1842. The subsequent five-story building on the site houses businesses, including the co-working offices operated by

WeWork WeWork Inc. is a provider of coworking spaces, including physical and virtual shared spaces, headquartered in New York City. As of December 31, 2021, the company operated of space, including in the United States and Canada, in 756 locatio ...

and a Morgan boutique.

Historic plaque

A plaque near the site, (opposite Ladurée), erected in 1919 in the French language, offers this information:

In this place resided Thomas Jefferson, Minister of the United States to France 1785–1789, President of the United States 1801–1809, Author of the American Declaration of Independence, Founder of the University of Virginia

The plaque was created and installed by "the former students of the University of Virginia, soldiers of the World War, in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the university".https://www.eutouring.com/thomas_jefferson_monuments_in_paris.html, Thomas Jefferson Monuments in Paris

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hotel de Langeac Former buildings and structures in Paris Thomas Jefferson Buildings and structures demolished in 1842 Demolished buildings and structures in Paris