Thursday, September 24, 2009

A tribute to Haussmann


It's interesting to read about the Paris architecture. The city did not change much until mid 1800, when Napoleon the 3rd committed the Baron Haussmann to turn the city into a modern one. You may have read how he took down thousands of dwellings from the middle ages and replaced them with brand new ones (I live in one of those, which is no longer "brand new", let me tell you!) and forged new streets running east and west, north and south.The 9th arrondissement (well, what became the 9th arrondissement, for before Haussmann there were no such things as arrondissements), was the up and coming place at that time. That is were I took this photo (rue Victor Massé), which is not a typical Haussmanian building, but still very beautiful with its nice carvings. Read this (it's in English) if you want to know more, it's really interesting.

24 comments:

  1. Eric, That is just beautiful, I know no other way to describe it. I like the added touch of the flower boxes on the roof and window boxes of flowers. Just lovely.

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  2. Haussmann...Napoleon....historical architecture...you're trying to make me cry, aren't you? This toying you do with my heart is too much to take sometimes, Monsieur. I'm melting in my chair, drip drip dripping on the floor. Who's going to clean this up? Hmmm?

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  3. Beautiful beautiful building; the details are just amazing. Thanks too for the very interesting article: yay to Haussmann for, among many other things, deciding it "necessary to keep the clean water separate from the dirty water"!

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  4. You make me laugh, Suzy—which is the only thing that's keeping me from crying too! Eric, Suzy's right. You really know how to make us long for Paris. And the link IS very interesting—thanks!

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  5. It is so beautiful. Haussman did lovely things. I also cherish the photos of Paris taken before he came along--Atget and Marville gave us such treasures. Combined, Eric gives us Paris the beautiful (and makes us drip into puddles--well said, Suzy!).

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  6. eric...eric...eric....you are killin' me. first the cute firemen, then the beautiful autumn photo and now this! oh la la ;-)

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  7. Everywhere I turn in Paris, I find lovely architecture. I could photograph every inch and be happy. The link was very very interesting Eric. Merci.

    BTW, my followers magically reappeared today. I'm sure you waved your magical scepter over Bloggerland and poof! it was fixed!

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  8. The architecture, the neighborhood, and that Paris blue sky. There is a Chartres blue, a color of stained glass that has never been reproduced. I think there is a Paris blue sky, a color that I've never seen anywhere else. Maybe it's the Paris Blues. (Although that was filmed in black and white.)

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  9. Il est possible de trouver la même chose à Nîmes. Un petit Paris. Gardez le secret a! Nîmes est très charmant.

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  10. I didn't know that Haussmann histroy bit.

    Now lemme head over to the link you have given.

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  11. Everything works beautifully in this composition. It's a joy to look at! Thanks for the history, too.

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  12. Haussmann and Paris look like in my heart like Eric and PDP. Beautiful big things done by each one for Paris.
    Eric, I hope you managed to sleep well this night and you are recovering quickly. Unbearable cold... I had one two weeks ago and know how bad it is.
    See how loved you are and trust Hauss-mann to crack you up ;-)

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  13. The architecture makes this an unmistakeable Parisian scene. Everything is so crisp and rational looking--rational describing the French mentality,too.
    Love those chimney pots.
    Thx for the link for that indepth explaination.

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  14. Recently I have had to sift through pictures (pre-digital) that are loose and need storage. And even tho' I don't feel I have traveled as much as my heart desires I see the pictures of LOndon, Paris, Seville, Granada, and the Loire and I know the Paris pictures by just a glance of the architecture. Ah Paris. Thank you for the info.

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  15. Eric, this is one of those simple, every day sights that I love on your blog. I like the creative shots, new shop windows, etc., but for me, THIS is Paris.

    I also find it interesting to share that in Philadelphia, there was a lot of influence by French architects. Often people think of Washington, DC, but Philadelphia really is the birthplace of America, and there was so much French influence there.

    · Philadelphia’s City Hall, the largest municipal building in the country, is the finest example of the Second Empire style and reveals striking similarities to the Louvre and the Hotel De Ville in Paris.
    · Memorial Hall in Fairmount Park has a similar conceptual design to the Paris Opéra.
    · The Benjamin Franklin Parkway was designed by French architect Jacques Gréber (Paul Philippe Cret also contributed to the Parkway’s design) and was based on the concept of the Place de la Concorde.
    · The sculpture Lion Crushing a Serpent, located in Rittenhouse Square, was created by the French Romantic sculptor Anotoine-Louis Barye.
    · The Free Library of Philadelphia and Municipal Court buildings, are modeled after the Ministry and the L’Hôtel de Crillon in Paris.
    · The Union League is an early example of the Second Empire style.

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  16. Sooooooo beautiful!! What a treat to live in a beautiful building like that. Nothing like that in the USA :(. Merci, Valorie

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  17. It's a difficult juxtaposition....the Post Haussmann Paris is the one most of us know well and love....but the historian in me would kill to have a few days to wander around the original! I always did wonder why they demolished certain buildings like the palace at the Trocadero as I have to imagine it was not a sewage laden flop house....


    Sean

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  18. To use a cliché: We seldom stop to smell the roses! When you walk around the (Les arrondissements de) Paris neighborhoods, you cannot see the architectural details of the buildings, the balconies and the intricate details on the lamp posts. Your close up highlights the beauty of what we are missing from a distance. It looks like a balmy autumn day, judging from the open windows on the balconies. Enjoy the flowers, yet this year, while they last.

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  19. What a treat to live in a beautiful appartment inside such a beautiful building...I agree!!

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  20. Great photo Eric!
    Haussmann's work is a reference in urban studies.

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  21. Wow! It's beautiful architecture. It's like a big ART. Great!!

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