The Hôtel d'Uzès was a neoclassical ''

hôtel particulier () is the French term for a grand urban mansion, comparable to a Townhouse (Great Britain), British townhouse. Whereas an ordinary (house) was built as part of a row, sharing party walls with the houses on either side and directly fronting on a ...

'', a kind of large

townhouse A townhouse, townhome, town house, or town home, is a type of Terraced house, terraced housing. A modern townhouse is often one with a small footprint on multiple floors. In a different British usage, the term originally referred to any type o ...

of France, located at 172 Rue Montmartre in the

2nd arrondissement of Paris The 2nd arrondissement of Paris (''IIe arrondissement'') is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, this arrondissement is colloquially referred to as ''deuxième'' (second/the second). It is governed locall ...

History

The Hôtel d'Uzès was originally built in the early

18th century The 18th century lasted from 1 January 1701 (represented by the Roman numerals MDCCI) to 31 December 1800 (MDCCC). During the 18th century, elements of Enlightenment thinking culminated in the Atlantic Revolutions. Revolutions began to ch ...

. In 1767, neo-classical architect

Claude-Nicolas Ledoux Claude-Nicolas Ledoux (; 21 March 1736 – 18 November 1806) was one of the earliest exponents of French Neoclassical architecture. He used his knowledge of architectural theory to design not only domestic architecture but also town planning; ...

was commissioned to bring the residence up to date for its owner, François-Emmanuel de Crussol (1728–1802), 9th

Duke of Uzès Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ...

, who in 1753 married the daughter of the

Duke of Antin {{Use dmy dates, date=September 2021 The duchy of Antin was a French duchy created in 1711 by the promotion of the marquisate of Antin, Hautes-Pyrénées, Antin (held by the Pardaillan de Gondrin family) into a "duché-pairie". It merged the Marqui ...

. Preserving the walls of the existing hôtel, the architect plastered new façades on the old ones. On the courtyard side, the façade dressed in slits is centered on a portico resting on four

Corinthian columns The Corinthian order (, ''Korinthiakós rythmós''; ) is the last developed and most ornate of the three principal classical orders of Ancient Greek architecture and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric order, which was the earliest, ...

. On the garden side, the

portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cu ...

was more developed, resting on six columns of the same order. The use of the

colossal order In classical architecture, a giant order, also known as colossal order, is an order whose columns or pilasters span two (or more) storeys. At the same time, smaller orders may feature in arcades or window and door framings within the storeys that ...

(the columns embrace two levels) was one of the characteristics of Ledoux's early works. On the garden side again, the façade was topped at the attic level by statues and trophies. Formerly located at 72 rue Montmartre, the hôtel's entrance was monumental. It is framed by two

Doric columns The Doric order is one of the three orders of ancient Greek and later Roman architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian. The Doric is most easily recognized by the simple circular capitals at the top of t ...

loaded with trophies and warrior emblems (the Duke of Uzès being a well known military man).Leborgne, Dominique, ''Guide du promeneur 2e arrondissement'', Paris, Parigramme, 1995. Although the Duke was France's premier non-

Royal Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family or Royalty (disambiguation), royalty Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Ill ...

Duke of France, the façade was considered pretentious.

Delessert years

In 1824, the hôtel was acquired by the banker

Jules Paul Benjamin Delessert Jules Paul Benjamin Delessert (14 February 1773 – 1 March 1847) was a French banker and naturalist. He was an honorary member of the Académie des Sciences and many species were named from his natural history collections. Biography He was bor ...

, founder of the

Groupe Caisse d'Epargne A group is a military unit or a military formation that is most often associated with military aviation. Air and aviation groups The terms group and wing differ significantly from one country to another, as well as between different branches o ...

, but also a politician and botanist. After him, his son

François-Marie Delessert François-Marie Delessert (2 April 1780 - 15 October 1868) was a French banker and politician. Born in Lyon, he was the second son of the banker Étienne Delessert (banker), Étienne Delessert. He studied in Geneva and in 1796 joined the Groupe C ...

gathered a remarkable botanical collection there. In 1870, the building was demolished for speculative purposes. It gave way to the current rue d'Uzès, made up of industrial buildings.Gallet, Michel, ''Les architectes parisiens du XVIIIe siècle'', Paris, Mengès, 1995. While the hôtel was demolished, the paneling from the salon, an early example of the

neo-classical style Neoclassical architecture, sometimes referred to as Classical Revival architecture, is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy, France and Germany. It became one of the most promin ...

, largely carved by Joseph Métivier and

Jean-Baptiste Boiston Jean-Baptiste () is a male French name, originating with Saint John the Baptist, and sometimes shortened to Baptiste. The name may refer to any of the following: Persons * Charles XIV John of Sweden, born Jean-Baptiste Jules Bernadotte, was Kin ...

to the designs of Ledoux, is preserved in the Carnavalet Museum, Paris. It featured the attributes of War and the Arts hanging from trees.Braham 1980, p. 167 (figure 215).

Gallery

72 rue Montmartre. Hôtel d'Uzès démoli en 1870 par le percement de la rue d'Uzès, 2ème arrondissement, Paris. PH32487.jpg, Photograph of the hôtel before demolition Histoire de la paroisse de (...)Casabianca Laurent-Marie bpt6k6439260r.jpg, General view of the Hôtel d'Uzès Petit atlas pittoresque - 15. 3e arrondissement - Quartier Montmartre. No. 10 - David Rumsey.jpg, Engraved hand colored plan of 1st Borough, Faubroug du Roule Portal of the Hôtel d'Uzès by Ledoux MET DP808576.jpg, Drawing of the entrance of the Hôtel d'Uzès by Ledoux

References

External links

* {{authority control

Uzès Uzès (; ) is a commune in the Gard department in the Occitanie region of Southern France. Uzès lies about north-northeast of Nîmes, west of Avignon, and southeast of Alès. History Originally ''Ucetia'' or ''Eutica'' in Latin, Uzès wa ...

Hôtel d'Uzès