Paris' Chief Architect of the 19th Century
More landmarks to add to your list!
I recently wrote about the history of Les Halles in the heart of Paris and how the former market served Parisians before it was converted to an underground shopping center in the 1970s.
In doing my research, I discovered the architect behind the landmark design - Victor Baltard - and wanted to find out more about him.
Here’s what I discovered:
In 1849, Baltard was named Architect of the City of Paris, a position that was created after the French Revolution of 1789. He was a close friend of Georges Eugène Haussmann, who was tasked with modernizing Paris from the narrow streets and rickety buildings to the wide, sweeping boulevards and grand buildings we see today. (More about Haussmann here.)
As Chief Architect, he was most famous for redesigning Les Halles. To do this, he had to rebuild the entire neighborhood around it, based on a grid that included covered streets.
Baltard’s vision for Les Halles included some innovative ideas:
First, it included 12 pavilions that housed sellers of everything from flowers to meat to fruit. Keeping them neatly separated helped make the shopping experience more efficient for locals.
Second, he built in a water source at the top of each row of the pavilions so vendors could wash their stalls from time to time. (One of the main problems with the old Les Halles was unsanitary conditions.)
Finally, he built in gas-powered street lighting. This was revolutionary because before that, only oil-based lamps were used, which didn’t provide ample light after dark and let off a terrible smell. With gas-fueled lighting, vendors could work into the night.
Les Halles was torn down in 1969. However, one of its pavilions survived and is currently resting in Nogent-sur-Marne, east of Paris. (“How does one move a pavilion?” I have to ask myself.)
Baltard’s work on Les Halles had a significant influence on other architects. One example is in the design of Halle St. Pierre, a terrific art gallery-restaurant/cafe-bookstore at the foot of the Montmartre hill (where the Sacre Coeur towers elegantly above). This is a MUST if you’re looking for a place to visit beyond the usual touristy stuff.
While he was most famous for his remake of Les Halles, a lot of Baltard’s work involved designing or restoring churches.
One of them is the Church of Saint Augustine, located in the 8th arrondisement.
The inspiration for the Church of Saint Augustine was the St. Paul Cathedral in London. (You can see the similarity in the circular domes in the photos above.) That’s because the man who commissioned Haussmann to reconstruct Paris, Napoleon III (no, not that Napoleon), had lived in exile in London before returning to France to become President then Emperor of France.
Baltard’s design of the church was the first of its kind to combine an exposed iron frame with stonework. This meant he could build thicker walls, which avoided the need to add buttresses to support the structure.
The next time you’re in Paris, if you’re wrapping up your shopping near Opéra Garnier (where the big department stores are), simply walk northwest on Boulevard Haussmann until you reach the magnificent Église Saint-Augustin (the French name of the church) and have a look.
In addition to the projects I described, Victor Baltard also restored a number of churches in Paris that were damaged during the French Revolution. Usually it’s Haussmann who gets all the credit, but Baltard’s understanding of architecture and urban planning also allowed for an interesting legacy that can be experienced today.
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I had no idea part of the Halles Baltard (wasn't that name used?) are standing elsewhere. I'll have to check them out when I get to Paris next. I loved this post!