The Architecture of Paris
The architecture of Paris is a captivating blend of history, art, and innovation that has evolved over centuries, leaving an indelible mark on the city’s skyline and cultural identity. From the iconic Gothic cathedrals like Notre-Dame to the grandeur of Haussmann’s boulevards, Paris boasts a diverse array of architectural styles that reflect its rich and storied past.
Paris’ streets are adorned with ornate Beaux-Arts buildings, charming Belle Époque apartments, and modernist structures, creating a visual tapestry that seamlessly weaves together the old and the new. Paris, often referred to as the “City of Light,” has long been a global epicenter of architectural creativity, continually reinventing itself while preserving the timeless beauty that makes it one of the world’s most enchanting cities.
Architectural Landmarks
Conciergerie, Palais de la Cité
Catacombs of Paris
Arenas of Lutetia (aka Arènes de Lutèce), (1st century)
1100s | 1200s | 1300s | 1400s | 1500s | 1600s | 1700s | 1800s | 1900s | 1910s | 1920s | 1930s | 1940s | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s
1100s
The Basilique royale de Saint-Denis, Abbot Suger (1144)
1200s
Sainte-Chapelle, Pierre de Montreuil (1246-1248)
Cathédrale de Chartes (1252)
1300s
Notre Dame Cathedral, Manuelle Gautrand (1345)
1500s
Musée de Cluny (Cluny Museum, aka Hôtel Cluny), Albert Lenoir (1330, 1510)
Hôtel Carnavalet, Pierre Lescot, François Mansart (1544)
Jardin des Tuileries (Tuileries Garden) (1564)
1600s
Place des Vosges, Baptiste du Cerceau (1605)
St-Étienne du Mont (1494-1624)
Ile Saint-Louis, Christophe Marie (1620-1650)
St-Germain-des-Prés, Pierre de Montreuil (1641)
Domaine National de Saint-Cloud (National Estate of Saint-Cloud), Antoine Le Pautre (1664-1665)
Jardin des Plantes (1635)
Palais-Royal (Ministry of Culture), Jules Hardouin-Mansart (1639)
Luxembourg Palace, Salomon de Brossee (1615-1645)
Pont Neuf, Baptiste Androuet du Cerceau and Guillaume Marchand (1578-1607)
Palais du Louvre, Le Vau, François Mansart, Versailles (1670)
Palace of Versaille, Louis Le Tau, Andre Le Notre and Charles Lebrun (1682)
1700s
Pathéon, Jacques-Germain Soufflot and Jean-Baptiste Rondelet (1758)
Hôtel des Invalides, Libéral Bruant and Jules Hardouin-Mansart (1671-1706)
Église Sainte-Sulpice (The Church of Saint-Sulpice), Giovanni Niccolò Servandoni (renovation), Christophe Gamard (1646-1760)
Place de la Concorde, Ange-Jacques Gabriel (1755)
Musée Rodin (aka Hôtel Biron), Jean Aubert (1727-1732)
1800s
Church of La Madeleine (aka Church of Sainte Marie-Madeleine), Pierre-Alexandre Vignon, Pierre Contant d’Ivry, Jacques-Marie Huvé, Guillaume-Martin Couture (1754-1842)
Palais Garnier (aka Place de l’Opéra), Charles Garnier (1861-1875)
Hôtel de Ville (aka Paris City Hall), Théodore Ballu, Édouard Deperthes (1357, 1533, 1892)
Musée de l’Orangerie (Orangery Museum), Firmin Bourgeois (1852)
Luxembourg Palace Renovation and Expansion, Jean Chalgrin and Alphonse de Gisors (1835-1856)
Eiffel Tower, Gustave Eiffel (1889)
1900s
Musée d’Orsay (formerly Gare d’Orsay), Victor Laloux, Lucien Magne and Émile Bénard (1900)
Pont Alexandre III Bridge, Joseph Cassien-Bernard and Gaston Cousin (1896-1900)
Paris Montparnasse Hall 1-2 (Paris Métro Station) (1906)
1910s
Sacré-Cœur Basilica, Paul Abadie (1914)
Galeries Lafayette Haussmann, Georges Cheyenne and Ferdinand Chanut (1912)
Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Auguste and Gustave Perret, Henry van de Verde (1911-1913)
Hôtel Guimard, Hector Guimard (1912)
1920s
Maison La Roche (Villa La Roche), Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret (1923-1925)
Fondation Le Corbusier, Le Corbusier (1923)
1930s
Palais de Tokyo, Marcel Henri Albert Dastugue, André Aubert (1937)
Musée Marmottan Monet (1934)
Swiss Pavilion (Pavillon Suisse), Cité Internationale Universitaire, Le Courbusier (1930 – 1931)
Grand Rex, Auguste Bluysen and John Eberson (1932)
1970s
The Mémorial des Martyrs de la Déportation, Georges-Henri Pingusson (1962)
Les Choux de Créteil, Gérard Grandval (1974)
Centre Georges Pompidou, Richard Rodgers, Renzo Piano & Gianfranco Franchini (1977)
1980s
Les Orgues de Flandre, Martin van Trek (1980)
Les Espaces d’Abraxas, Noisy-le-Grand, Ricardo Bofill (1978 – 1982)
Les Arenes de Picasso, Noisy-le-Grand, Manuel Nunez Yanowsky (1985)
Opéra Bastille (1989)
Le Grand Louvre, I.M. Pei (1989)
Grande Arche of La Défense, Johan Otto von Spreckelsen (1989)
Institute du Monde Arabe (Arab World Institute), Jean Nouvel, Architecture Studio, Gilbert Lèzenes and Pierre Soria (1987)
1990s
Villa Dall’Ava, Office for Metropolitan Architecture (1991)
Fondation Cartier pour l’Art Contemporain (The Cartier Foundation for Contemporary Art, Foundation Cartier), Jean Nouvel (1994)
Bibliothèque François-Mitterrand, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Dominique Perrault (1992-1995)
Bibiothèque National de France (National Library of France), Dominique Perrault (1995)
2000s
Palais de Tokyo Expansion, Location & Vassal (2002)
Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication, Francis Soler and Frédéric Druot (2004)
Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac, Jean Nouvel (1999 – 2006)
Musée du Quai Branly, Jean Nouvel (2006)
2010s
Docks de Paris, Jakob+MacFarlane (2010)
Foundation Louis Vuitton Paris, Frank Gehry (2014)
Seine Musicale, Shigeru Ban and Jean de Gastines (2017)
The Canopy of Les Halles (aka Forum des Halles) , Patrick Berger and Jacques Anziutti (2016)
Hotel Molitor, Jean-Philippe Nuel (1929, 2014)
Philharmonie de Paris, Jean Nouvel (2015)
La Seine Musical, Shigeru Ban and Jean de Gastines (2017)
Pigalle Basketball, Ill-Studio (2017)
2020s
Bourse de Commerce Renovation, Collection Pinault, Tadao Ando (2021)
Musée de Cluny Renovation, Bernard Desmoulin (2022)
Bibiothèque National de France Renovation (National Library of France), Bruno Gaudin Architects (2022)
La Samaritaine, SANAA + LAGNEAU Architectes + Francois Brugel Architectes Associes + SRA Architectes (2021)