Rue des Colonnes, a product of French Revolution urbanism
Paris wasn’t built in a day!
From its humble beginnings on Ile de la Cité, then a small island nestled in the heart of the Seine, Paris has evolved into a sprawling metropolis, gradually absorbing the surrounding hamlets, villages, and countryside over the centuries.
With the city’s constant expansion, new streets were laid out to accommodate its growing population and iconic monuments. The Rue des Colonnes is a prime example!
This thoroughfare reflects the urban planning of the French Revolution era. Opened between 1793 and 1795, it was designed to connect the Rue des Filles Saint-Thomas to the Théâtre Feydeau, located between the the Bourse (Paris historic Stock Exchange) and the Opéra de Paris.
While many churches and monuments fell victim to destruction or looting during the Revolution, a few new buildings also emerged. The Théâtre Feydeau, inaugurated in 1791 and demolished in 1829, is a notable example.
This theatre, which presented comic operas in French and Italian, enjoyed immediate and resounding success. Attracted by its popularity, two developers purchased the Hôtel de Verneuil (private mansion) located nearby.
They demolished it to create a private alleyway providing direct access to the theatre. Initially conceived as a covered gallery whose doors were closed from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m., this alleyway was officially designated a street in 1797.
To comply with Parisian regulations regarding street width, the sidewalks were integrated into the roadway and the railings removed to allow public access. The foundations of Rue des Colonnes had just been laid!
A neoclassical architecture
Inspired by the temples of Paestum, an ancient Greek city in Italy, the architect Nicolas Vestier built the splendid neoclassical buildings lining the Rue des Colonnes.
These buildings are characterised by their understated yet refined facades and rectangular windows adorned with stone balustrades. Each house boasts three or four bays supported by porticoes decorated with Doric columns featuring glyphs and palmettes, a motif derived from Etruscan architecture, reflecting the architectural trends of the time.
Construction of the Rue des Colonnes began in 1793 under the direction of master builder Joseph Benard. However, work was abruptly halted a year later following the execution of one of the project’s promoters for corruption. The first eight houses were nevertheless completed before the project was suspended. These properties were seized and sold to new developers, who hired another architect to oversee the resumption of work.
The implementation of modern urban planning regulations transformed the Rue des Colonnes into one of Paris’s most iconic streets. Echoing the architectural style of the existing buildings, the new constructions featured arcades supported by Doric columns. These arcades served a dual purpose: sheltering pedestrians accessing the ground-floor shops and facilitating access to the theatre, regardless of the weather. The ground floors were dedicated to shops, while the upper floors served as apartments.
The opening of the Rue de la Bourse in 1826 and the Rue du Quatre-Septembre in 1864 reduced the length of the Rue des Colonnes to 90 meters, and the bustling shops of the past have today given way to cafés and restaurants.
The forerunner of the Parisian covered galleries
The Rue des Colonnes stands out as a pioneering street in Parisian urban planning. It was, in fact, the first arcaded street designed to harmoniously blend commercial and residential spaces. While the concept of arcaded streets had been present in Parisian architecture since the 17th and 18th centuries, for example, in the Place des Vosges, Place de la Concorde (arcades of the Hôtel Crillon and Hôtel de la Marine), and the Palais-Royal, it remained confined to these few prestigious buildings. This innovative architecture also served as a model for the iconic Rue de Rivoli, created at the beginning of the 19th century on the north side of the Louvre Palace and the Tuileries Garden. The Rue des Colonnes thus became the primary inspiration for the creation of numerous covered passages and galleries that shaped the urban landscape of 19th-century Paris.
Directions: 2nd district
Metro stations: Quatre-Septembre or Bourse on Line 3
Coordinates: Lat 48.869386 – Long 2.339448
